Green grape and wild rice salad with sherry vinaigrette, toasted walnuts and roasted red pepper

Add wild rice and a couple teaspoons of salt to hot water, bring to a boil and cook like pasta until the grains pop and crack, about 30 to 40 minutes; drain.

While the rice is still slightly warm, add some of the drained mandarins; cool completely.

Reduce the orange juice until concentrated and syrupy.

Pick the tarragon leaves and chop them in one pass, without going back and forth, so they do not oxidize.

Combine tarragon, garlic, sherry vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl; this vinaigrette base can be made ahead.

Quarter the grapes into bite-size pieces.

Toast the almonds, and the walnuts the same way, in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes until they smell nicely.

Slice the scallions. Drain canned red peppers and cut into about a quarter-inch dice.

Variation: to roast a fresh pepper, char it directly over the flame, put it in a bowl covered with plastic to steam for about 15 minutes, rub off the skin, core and dice.

Add the reduced orange juice to the vinaigrette and whisk in the olive oil.

Combine the cooked wild rice with the mandarins, toasted walnuts, scallions, dried currants and roasted red peppers; add the grapes last, then the vinaigrette, and toss.

Chill about 30 minutes before serving; it holds a couple of days chilled.

Garnish with a few green grapes and the toasted almonds.