Black rice with tomatoes, crème fraîche and horseradish

Serves 4

Skye uses nutty black rice grown in Piedmont in Italy © Lisa Barber

I've only recently discovered this beautiful nutty black rice grown in Piedmont in Italy. It has a lovely, chewy texture and the colour is absolutely beautiful. We use it mostly served tossed cold through salads, but it is equally good served warm, with lashings of extra-virgin olive oil.

5tbsp black rice, rinsed until the water runs clear
30ml/1fl oz extra-virgin olive oil
The juice of one lime
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 thumb of freshly grated horseradish root
100ml/31/2fl oz crème fraîche
2 ripe tomatoes (here I have used a mix of two Italian varieties, Datterino and Camone)
A small handful of young salad leaves, such as baby spinach
>A small bunch of basil

Place the rice in a small saucepan with enough water to cover it by no more than three-quarters of an inch. Add a pinch of salt and place over a medium heat; bring to a boil and immediately turn down to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes or until the rice is tender but still with a distinct bite to it. Drain and place in a bowl.

While the rice is still warm, squeeze over the lime juice and add the olive oil. Season with a little more salt and the pepper and stir well to combine. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Grate the horseradish and add to the crème fraîche. Season with a little salt and stir to combine. That's the dressing done.

Now slice the tomatoes into rounds or, if they're little, merely in half. Wash the salad leaves and pat dry, then place the tomatoes on top of them and sprinkle the basil leaves on top. Dress with a little more olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the dressed rice and toss gently with your hands.

To serve, arrange the salad on a plate or divide among four separate ones and spoon over the horseradish dressing. '