MY SISTER GOT THIS RECIPE FROM AN OLD COLLEGE friend who lived in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and many
is the time she has served the elegant salad with cold roast pork or beef, ham biscuits, a fruit cobbler, and churned ice cream. It’s also a great salad for a summertime deck party, in which case you can easily double or triple the recipe. To give the salad a nice textural flair, I like to add a few crunchy pecans.

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1⁄2 cups water
• 1 1⁄2 cups wild rice
• 1⁄2 pound small fresh shrimp
• 1⁄2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup firmly packed, shredded fresh spinach (tough stems removed)
• 2 scallions (green tops included), sliced
• 1⁄2 cup chopped pecans
• 1⁄3 cup dry white wine
• 1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Cherry tomatoes for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil.
2. Add the wild rice to the boiling water, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice has absorbed all the water, about 30 minutes.
3. Transfer the cooked rice to a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator.
4. Place the shrimp in another saucepan and add enough salted water to cover them.
5. Bring the water to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat and let the shrimp stand for 1 minute.
6. Drain the shrimp and let them cool.
7. Peel and devein the cooled shrimp, then add them to the chilled rice.
8. Add the sliced mushrooms, shredded spinach, sliced scallions, and chopped pecans to the rice and shrimp mixture. Toss everything together.
9. In a small bowl, combine the dry white wine, vegetable oil, sugar, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk the ingredients until well blended.
10. Pour the dressing mixture over the rice and shrimp. Toss well to coat everything evenly.
11. Cover the bowl and chill the salad until ready to serve.
12. Serve the salad on salad plates, garnishing with cherry tomatoes.