Recipe: Rice salad with ham, sugar snap peas and provolone

Total time: 45 minutes

Servings: 6 to 8

Note: In this recipe, the rice is cooked almost like pasta, in plenty of water. That keeps the starch from coating the kernels after it is drained. Do start it in cold water though, so the starch will soften gradually. And make sure the rice is pretty well cooked; it will firm up as it cools.

2 cups rice

Salt

1 pound ham, cut in 1/2-inch dice

3/4 pound sugar snap peas (trim and string if necessary)

2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar, divided

3/4 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 ounces sharp provolone, cut in 1/2-inch dice

1. Place the rice in a large saucepan, cover generously with water and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, add the ham and reduce the heat to cook at a simmer. When the rice is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes, add the sugar snap peas, then immediately drain the rice, ham and peas and rinse them lightly in running water.

2. Empty the mixture into a bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon vinegar. Add the green onions and mix well. Spread as thin as possible across the bottom of the bowl to cool and dry.

3. Just before serving, mix together the remaining tablespoon of vinegar and the olive oil. Add this dressing to the rice along with the provolone and mix everything together well. Taste and adjust the seasoning for salt. Serve at room temperature.

Each serving: 415 calories; 784 mg. sodium; 56 mg. cholesterol; 18 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 42 grams carbohydrates; 22 grams protein; 2 grams fiber.