This delicious adventure began with a recipe from my Minnesota grandmother, which makes sense because wild rice grows there and this is all about the wild rice!
I will confess to – gasp! – having changed the recipe over the years of – you know – feeding the family I have! The Legendary Husband absolutely loves it, hence the name!
These days, it’s more of a world view than a recipe! And you – because you’re reading this – are now part of the family!
NOTE: Wild rice is high in protein and, because it’s actually a grass and not a grain, there are no gluten issues with it. If you like, you can prepare a batch of dressing as above, freezing leftovers in small pans before baking, if you don’t need the entire amount. (They make a great side dish for two on a busy day and are even nice for take-away gifts for guests or taking dinner to friends.)
This is the vegetarian version. There’s an option for the omnivores, at the end.
What you’ll need:
1 c. real wild rice, cracked or whole.
2 c. chopped onions, preferably organic.
1 large fennel bulb, preferably organic, chopped to similar size as onions, ferns reserved.
8 oz. package fresh, organic mushrooms
2 ripe pears.
½ handful chopped fresh parsley, preferably flat, Italian, organic.
1-2 Tbsp. fresh thyme, stripped from stems and chopped as needed.
3-4 fresh sage leaves, minced finely, if desired.
½ c. roasted, salted hazelnuts, chopped coarsely. (Omit for guests with nut allergies.)
1-2 c veg or mushroom stock, see below. (Bone broth works great, too!)
Good olive oil.
Freshly ground black or pink peppercorns.
Grey, Celtic sea salt.
Baking dish, about 8×8”, greased lightly.
Preheat over to 300 F.
Prepare 1 c. wild rice, according to package directions. We do the rice-cooker thing! Cool overnight/to room temp.
Saute onions in olive oil adding fennel after onions start to turn translucent, and chopped organic mushrooms when onions and fennel are tender. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Cool, slightly.
Mix cooked rice and veg mix in large bowl. Add broth gradually until mix is moist but not soggy.
Add dried cranberries and pears, with thyme and sage if using. Toss gently with clean hands until mixed well. Add to prepared baking dish. Cover with foil.
If you’re making a large batch for freezing, just package it up without baking it first!
Bake 35 min at 350 F. Remove foil. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if using, and chopped parsley and fennel ferns. Bake an additional 15-20 min. until top is gently browned.
Serve warm-hot.
*Variations!
We make lots! Just multiply ingredients as necessary. The crucial proportions are rice to liquid. The rest, you can play with.
As you may have guessed from the photo, we also add – gasp! – local, sustainably raised, pork sausage!!! Often, of the Italian or Spicy Pear variety. If you can buy it “loose” (ie-no casings) it saves time and energy – possibly for painting! Just crumble and stir fry it in an iron skillet before you start the veg! Then, proceed as above.
And… if you’re a soup person, just add about 2 servings of your dressing to broth of your choice and heat. You now have way-better-than-instant soup!!!