Make enough for seconds

Dear SOS: I would love the recipe for the wild rice salad from the Gulfstream Restaurant in Newport Beach. It was totally addictive. We ordered seconds.

Mary Ann Osborn

Los Angeles

Dear Mary Ann: What a good salad for this time of year, and what a good salad to take to a Thanksgiving celebration. And here’s something nice -- you can combine the fig-nut-onion mixture the day before (cover and refrigerate), then cook the rice and toss with the mixture the day of. It’s a little do-ahead.

Gulfstream wild rice salad

Total time: 1 hour

Servings: 4-6

Salt

1 cup wild rice

1/2 cup finely chopped dried figs

1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans

1/3 cup chopped toasted unsalted cashews

1/4 cup finely chopped green onion tops

2 tablespoons finely chopped celery

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup olive oil

Freshly ground pepper

1. Combine 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the rice. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Drain well and cool.

2. Transfer the rice to a large bowl. Mix in the figs, pecans, cashews, green onion tops, celery and red onion.

3. Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, mustard and sugar in a blender. With the blender running, gradually mix in the vegetable and olive oils. Pour the dressing over the rice mixture and toss. Season salad with salt and pepper to taste.

Each of 6 servings: 291 calories; 15 mg. sodium; 0 cholesterol; 26 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 1.93 grams fiber.