Veekee Patterson – Serves 12

Sometimes a recipe is worth waiting for. For years, Annie’s Aunt Veekee and Uncle Mic hosted a Thanksgiving party lovingly referred to as “The Feast of the Thousand Beasts.” Fifty Uncles, aunts, cousins, and family friends traveled to Simi Valley to enjoy an enormous spread of delicious food and drinks to celebrate being a Wilkes. 

One year, Veekee served a delicious Wild Rice Salad, which was a unique side dish that piqued my interest. The savory dish combined fresh vegetables, peppery arugula, and crunchy rice to bring a balanced taste with each bite. I asked for the recipe, and it came in parts.  Veekee could remember the basic ingredients, but couldn’t find the original measurement. A few years later (after her kitchen renovation, where all recipes were boxed up for safekeeping), Veekee found the actual recipe on a food-stained scrap of paper and happily shared it with me.

Ingredients for Salad

• 2 C Wild Rice
• 6 C Vegetable Stock
• 1 Jar Artichoke Hearts
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper Chopped
• 3 Green Onions
• 1 pt. Cherry tomatoes
• 1 C Frozen peas
• ½ cup Toasted Slivered Almonds1 bag Arugula Lettuce

Ingredients for dressing

• ½ C Liquid from Artichoke Hearts
• 1/3 C Olive Oil
• ¼ C White Wine Vinegar
• 1 T Lemon Juice
• 1 t Honey
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions

• Place Rice and Vegetable stock into the Rice Cooker and cook until the rice is done. Set aside if cooking ; on a stove top, refer to the instructions on the box, substituting vegetable stock for water.
• For the dressing, mix liquids and store in the refrigerator. Or use a good olive oil dressing.
• While the rice is cooking, drain artichoke hearts and cut them in half. Cut cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and green onions, and add ½ cup reserved salad dressing marinade.  You can use bottled Italian dressing to save time. 
• Mix the raw vegetables with rice and chill in the refrigerator. Before serving, toss arugula lettuce, frozen peas, and almonds. Place into a large serving bowl.