Conference turris::cooks

    I love wild rice, usually buy 2 or more pounds at a time.
    
    Just cook it according to directions on the package/box. It cooks
    longer than regular rice, if I remember correctly. 
    
    Wild rice goes great with just about any meat. I don't usually put
    it in recipes, because I love the flavor of it and it is rather
    delicate and tends to be overwhelmed by spices and flavoring.
    
    Things to try with it:
    
    1. Saut� some mushrooms and/or onions in  butter and a bit of sherry
       or wine. Add these to the rice just before serving.
    
    2. Wild rice is great in stuffing. Here you're using it more for
       appearance and texture, but it does add a nice flavor,too.
    
    3. I don't have the recipe off the top of my head, but there is
       a great cold wild rice salad in one of the Silver Palate cookbooks.
       I think it is in the "Good Times" one. Anyway, it has pecans,
       raisins and onions and celery and other dried fruit. It's absolutely
       great!
    
    

    What happens if you blend it with brown rice?  Does the flavor
    get overwhelmed, or does it tend to "stretch" the wild rice?
    
    --L

    I buy a nice rice pilaf from the health food store which has wild
    rice, and red rice and several brown rices. Can't think of the brand
    name, but I get it a Earth Grown in Nashua. It's good but sort of
    gummy. I've never been able to get it to come out drier or even
    a bit fluffy. It's very good, but the wild rice is sort of lost
    in the rest.
    
    Now, I've never tried cooking just brown rice and wild rice together.
    Is there such a thing as Long grain brown rice? Maybe that would
    be less sticky. Possibly if it were equal proportions of wild and
    brown rice, it would be better.  Have to try it sometime.

    
    I always use my wild rice mixed with other rice and sometimes other
    grains as well.. BUT I always cook them all separately and then
    toss them, season lightly and serve.  Cooking different rice grains
    or other grains together that may require different cooking times
    just makes a mess I think.
    
    gailann

    Thanks, Gailann. That's sort of what I suspected. Although Brown
    and Wild rice might work out together, since the cooking times are
    equal (lass than 5 minutes difference).
    
    Umm. A thought just occured to me. I'll bet wild rice and cooked
    bulgar would be good together. Definately have to mix after cooking
    separately. Add some fresh thyme and sage, maybe.
    
    Kitchen here I come!
    
    Tamzen

    re .3
    
    You might be able to avoid gummy or sticky rice by soaking the rice
    in water before cooking. You might have to rinse it a few times.

    
    

    Sigh. *Both* Silver Palate cookbooks have a recipe titled "Nutted
    Wild Rice". The one I've made is in the original book, the Silver
    Palate Cookbook.
    
    1 cup (1/2 lb.) wild rice
    5-1/ cups defatted chicken stock or water
    1 cup shelled pecan halves
    1 cup yellow raisins
    grated rind of 1 large orange
    1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
    4 scallions thinly sliced
    1/4 cup olive oil
    1/3 cup fresh orange juice
    1-1/2 tsp. salt
    freshly ground pepper to taste
    
    1. Put the rice in a strainer and rinse well under cold water.
    2. Place rice in a medium sized pan. Add stock or water and bring
    to rapid boil. Adjust heat to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered
    for 45 minutes. After 30 minutes check for doneness. Rice should
    not be too soft. Drain rice well thru a thin cloth in a colander.
    3. Put the drained rice in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and
    toss gently. Let mixture stand for 2 hours to allow flavors to develop.
    Serve at room temperature.
    
    When I've made it I also added dried sour cherries, when I've had
    them. Chopped apricots and almonds are nice, too.
                                                   
    

    The directions I got with my wild rice are:
    
    Rinse well under cold water. Add 3 times as much water as rice and
    boil about 50 minutes. 
    
    I also add the usual proportion of salt- a scant teaspoon to a quart
    of water. Don't over cook, you want the rice to be nicely chewy
    and not soggy and soft. 

The recipies I've seen use either the 3-1 ratio, and cook like rice (boil then 
simmer till water is absorbed), or they do it like pasta, boil in copious 
quantities of water till done, then drain.

From experience, DON'T mix in other rice.  Even long grain brown with the same 
cooking characteristics doesn't work quite right.  My favorite involves 
separately cooking equal amount of brown rice (cooked like rice) and wild rice 
(cooked like pasta) till almost done, then draining, and tossing with melted 
butter and sauteed mushrooms (especially the wild varieties).  Put in a 
covered casserole in a warm oven for about 10 minutes, then serve.

						     
							- JP

			
    From the Wild Rice Recipe Book provided with wild rice orders from
    Moose Lake Wild Rice.
    
    Wild Rice and Pork Chops
    
    1 C. wild rice, raw			1 can cream of chicken soup
    2 C. celery, diced			1 C. mushrooms, sliced
    1 Large onion			Pork chops
    1 can cream of mushroom soup
    
    Wash wild rice and boil 1/2 hour, let stand 1/2 hour, drain. Fry
    onion, celery and mushrooms 5 min. Add soups. Put 1/2 mixture in
    bottom of casserole. Scoop wild rice on top and cover with balance
    of mixture. Fry pork chops and place on top of this. Bake at 350
    for 1 hour. 
    
    
    I have never made this...It comes from a booklet I received when
    ordering wild rice. I always use a rice cooker to make my rices
    so I have not put in my method for cooking wild rice. It does come
    out perfect in the rice cooker. I cook the wild rice then I cook
    the brown rice and then I store them in the same container and use
    as I need. 
    
    I'll key in a wild rice recipe from my booklet as time permits.
    
    Rachelle �.

    	Hearty Casserole
    
    1 c. wild rice, raw			1 green pepper, chopped
    1 lb. link suasage			1 can milk
    3 tbsp. butter			1 can cream of mushroom soup
    3/4 c. chopped celery		1 can mushrooms (smalll can)
    1 large onion, chopped
    
    Precook wild rice, brown meat, add vegetables and cook until tender.
    Season to taste. Put into casserole. Add mushrooms and soup thinned
    with one cup of milk. Heat well and pour over wild rice. Bake at
    30 to 50 min. at 350.
    
    

    
    1/4 C.wild rice, raw		1/2 C. broken walnuts or 
    1/2 tsp. salt				slivered almonds
    3 C. chicken broth			1/2 tsp dried rosemary
    1 medium onion, finely chopped	1/4 tsp marjoram
    1/2 C. celery			1 tbsp. parsley, chopped
    					1 1/2 tbsp butter
    
    
    Wash wild rice and soak in water for 1 1/2 hrs. Drain. Place in
    saucepan with salt and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer
    covered until tender. Drain and place in buttered casserole.
    
    Saute onions and celery in butter until tender. Add nuts and herbs
    and stir lightly into rice. Add salt if necessary. Cover and bake
    15 minutes in 325 oven. Stir with fork to release staem. Rice should
    be fluffy. Serves 6-8.
    
    

    1 C. uncooked wild rice 		1 can (8 oz) mushroom stems
    1/4 C. butter or margerine		  and pieces, drain OR
    1/2 C. slivered almonds		1 C. fresh sliced mushrooms
    2 tbsp. snipped chives or 		3 C. chicken broth 
         chopped green onions
    
    Wash and drain wild rice. Melt butter in large skillet. Add rice,
    almonds, chives, and mushrooms. cook and stir until almonds are
    golden brown, about 20 minutes. 
    
    Heat oven to about 325, pour rice mixture into ungreased 1 1/2 quart
    casserole. Heat chicken broth to boiling; stir into rice mixture.
    Cover tightly; bake about 1 1/2 hours or until all liquid is absorbed
    and rice is tender and fluffy.