Rice, beans and ham salad with tomatoes filled with boiled eggs

Rice salad is a classic for the italian take-away lunches from home that want to avoid a sad ham sandwhich. As it concernes me, I never used ready dressings: I try to avoid in oil ingredients. I can understand, on the other hand, the missing desire to cut in little pieces salami, cheese and vegetables, especially if one has to prepare it not just for him/herself but for more people. I learned, with time, that it’s not always necessary to put a lot of ingredients to make a good or yummy rice salad. This is a fast version, estethically happy (colors are important for a good mood!), that I prepared for my mother and my sister on the trip to Expo Milano 2015.

Time of cooking

30 minutes

Time of standing

few hours

Servings

2

What did I use

a cutting board, a knife, a glass bowl, a large pot, a wooden spoon, a rag, a large colander

Ingredients

Tomatoes for salad, big and not too ripe: 4

Rice (for this type of plate I use the Vialone Nano, but you can use the one you have at home or you like the most): 200 gr

Egg, middle size: 4

Borlotti beans: a can (about 160 gr)

Ham: 2 slices, cut thick (about 5 mm)

Minced oregano: 2 spoons

Olive oil: 2 spoons

How did I do

I boiled the rice in salted boiling water for about 10 minutes. In the meanwhile, I boiled the eggs in plenty of water for about 8 minutes.

I dried the rice and let it cool on a single layer on the rag for about 10 minutes.

In this way, the rice does not lose its flavour, which happens when one puts it under the water to cool it.

In the meanwhile , I dried and washed the beans and cut the ham in little cubes. I cut off the upper part of the tomatoes and took off the seeds. I put some salt and let them dry upside-down for few minutes. I put in them the eggs and I cut off the upper part of them as well.

One can use the upper parts of eggs and tomatoes cutting them in little pieces and mixing them with the dressing or using them as a decoration when the dish is ready.

I mixed beans, ham, rice, some oregano and oil.

I let it stand in the fridge until I used it. I put the tomatoes filled with eggs in the fridge as well.

In this way the rice has the time to cool completely and to absorb well the taste of the dressing. I usually prepare it at least 2 or 3 hours before or, if possible, the day before.

At the moment of composing the plate, I put the remaining oregano on it.

Buon appetito!