Summer Venus Rice

For 4 people:

200 gr. Venus rice

2 medium zucchini

2 carrots

a bunch of asparagus

extra virgin olive oil

salt, pepper

rocket salad, parsley, basil

salad fruit of your choice: (melon, apricots, peaches...)

Venus rice is a perfect variety of rice, naturally integral, typical of Piedmont. Very rich in antocyanins and other important minerals, it is also recognised for the aroma that is unleashed at the moment of cooking in boiling water. It blends well with all types of vegetables and in this recipe even with fruit!

Rinse the rice well under running water before boiling it in hot water.

My ADVICE is to boil it in a pan with 3 times the water with respect to the rice: in this way after boiling you can even turn off the cooker and leave it to slowly absorb the water: this passive cooking is convenient if we don’t have time for the traditional cooking method (you can start it in the morning, turn the cooker off, and find the rice already cooked at lunchtime).

Now to the vegetables: slice the carrots and zucchini and cook in a pan with very little oil and salt. Meantime, in another pan, cook the asparagus (having first removed the stalks) again with oil and salt. You can add any other vegetables you have.

Let’s prepare an aromatized oil putting the oil in a jar then adding chopped parsely and basil, salt and pepper.

Finally dress the salad with the fruit (melon, rocket salad, apricots) adding chopped rocket salad, salt, oil and very little balsamic vinegar.

Now prepare the rice, season with the aromatized oil, add the cooked vegetables and finish off with the rocket and fruit salad: the result is a perfect Summer dish which can even be eaten on the beach!