Reason #43012 why I never wanted to be a restaurant chef: I don’t brunoise.

I’ve got too little patience to turn a carrot, onion, beet, or other vegetable into perfect tiny cubes — and too much eco-consciousness to waste the imperfect trim that would result. I’ve honed my knife skills (see what I did there?) for the purpose of efficiency, not geometric or hierarchical “Yes, chef” accuracy. If I want tiny pieces, I’ll pull out my box grater or food processor; otherwise, I’m of the just-get-er-done school of food prep.

I think most home cooks are of the same mindset — or certainly should be.

The approach feels Italian, seeing as how so much of that nation’s (incredible) cooking focuses first and foremost on building or showcasing vibrant flavors, not perfect shapes — apart, perhaps, from the natural curves of an eggplant or the manmade ruffles of my favorite pasta.

Or the instructions in a recipe for one of my top late-summer picnic/cookout dishes: a rice salad named for an Italian woman who was careful — or maybe a little crazy — to perfectly dice vegetables fine enough to be the same size as grains of rice. I first learned of it years ago from Rolando Beramendi’s “Autentico,” where he named it the Contessa’s Rice Salad after the obsessive cook.

Here’s where the food processor comes into play. I violate tradition by first cutting the vegetables into chunks, then letting the machine dispatch them in a mere matter of a few pulse-pulse-pulses. Even less traditional: I add cannellini beans for heft and protein and everything else they bring to the bowl. When it all gets tossed with Carnaroli rice — a high-starch Italian variety often used in risotto — plus a little mayo, mustard, lemon and other powerful ingredients, you end up with a creamy salad that’s still somehow light.

It’s potato salad’s glamorous, continental cousin, as full of la dolce vita as Sophia Loren. Who wouldn’t invite her to the party?

On Sunday, Sept. 27, from noon to 2 p.m. Eastern, I’ll be sharing more details on decades’ worth of tofu revelations as we make this menu:

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Makes 4 to 6 servings // Storage: Keeps, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days.

In a medium pot over medium-high heat, combine the rice with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Stir in ½ teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low so the liquid is at a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the rice is al dente, 7 to 9 minutes. If the rice hasn’t absorbed all the water, drain it in a fine-mesh strainer, transfer it to a large bowl, and let it cool completely. (To speed up the cooling, spread the rice on a large rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until cool, then return it to the bowl.)

While the rice is cooling, combine the zucchini, celery, bell pepper, olives, parsley, and tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until everything is about the size of grains of rice, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed and being careful not to overprocess it to mush.

Add the vegetables to the bowl of rice and toss just to combine — and to break up the rice if it has gotten clumpy when cooling.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, aioli, mustard, olive oil, the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and the ground pepper. (If you’d like, you can do this in the food processor instead, especially if it’s a small one — just combine the ingredients in the same bowl you used for the vegetables; no need to clean it.) Pour this over the rice mixture and toss just to combine. Gently fold in the cannellini beans, being careful not to break them up. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve at room temperature or chill and serve cold.

Substitutions

Halved (for two)

A food processor doesn’t love a small load — the vegetables dodge the blade — so use a mini bowl if you have one, or just hand-chop the vegetables fine, which at this quantity is not much work. But half a can of beans is the annoying kind of half, so you may just want to make the full batch: it keeps beautifully for a few days and, like most bean salads, tastes even better on day two.

Makes 2 to 3 servings // Storage: Keeps, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days.

Follow the method as written above, using a smaller pot for the rice.

From “Cool Beans” by Joe Yonan (Ten Speed Press, 2020).

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Warm Broccoli, Chickpea and Rice Salad

Rice Salad With Beans, Lemons and Herbs

Brown Rice Salad With Carrots, Scallions and Baked Tofu