Start by preparing the vegetables, cleaning and cutting them, keeping them all separate. Divide the cauliflower into florets. Slice the celery and zucchini into rounds. Cut the peppers and carrots into sticks. Remove the tips from the green beans and cut them into 2 cm sticks. Finally, slice the onion into wedges.

Pour the vinegar, the water, the salt, and the sugar into a large saucepan. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar, and then bring to a boil.

Blanch the vegetables separately, for a few minutes, until al dente. Then, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and place them on a clean cloth to dry for a few hours. Do the same with all the vegetables.

Once dry, place the vegetables in a bowl and cover them with extra virgin olive oil. Add the desalted capers and pitted olives. Stir, and store in the fridge, covered with cling film, for a week.

Cook the rice in a pot of boiling salted water, drain when al dente, and run under cold water to stop the cooking.

Collect the rice in a large salad bowl, add half of the prepared seasoning, or as much as you like. Use the vegetable olive oil to dress the salad, as in the meantime, it will have absorbed all the flavours from the vegetables.

Mash the hard-boiled eggs with a fork, and add them to the rice salad along with the basil, torn with your hands. Give the rice salad a good stir, cover with cling film, and stash in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

It will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for a few days.