Serves 4-6
4 cups cooked brown rice (long- or short-grain), at room temperature
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbs sherry vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt
3 loosely packed cups soft herbs (such as Italian parsley, basil, mint, chives, tarragon, cilantro, and/or chervil), tough stems discarded, coarsely chopped
¼ cup dried currants (may substitute raisins)
¼ cup roasted salted almonds, coarsely chopped
Combine the rice, oil, vinegar, salt, herbs, dried currants and almonds in a large serving bowl and toss well to incorporate.
Serve right away, at room temperature, or let sit covered at room temperature for up to 2 hours before serving.
VARIATIONS:
To make about 1 cup of Any-Soft-Herb Pesto (vegan), combine the following ingredients in a food processor:
2 small chopped garlic cloves
⅓ cup unsalted nuts and 3 loosely packed cups of stemmed herbs.
Pulse until finely chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in about ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, forming a rich green paste. Taste and season lightly with salt.
Tips:
If you want to make this super fast, pick up cooked rice from a Chinese take-away restaurant or use frozen/defrosted rice.
The salad can be refrigerated for up to three days. Bring to room temperature before serving.