La Cocotte Verte

Wild Rice Pilaf with Forest Mushrooms, paired with Magret of Duck with Cherry Sauce

— 4-6 servings

Wild rice isn’t actually rice, technically it’s a grass seed. Whatever its botanical classification, it’s high in protein (but gluten-free!), the amino acid lysine, and dietary fiber, plus low in fat. Best of all, it has a deliciously chewy texture and a pleasant, nutty taste. Wild mushrooms’ rich, woodsy flavor complement it perfectly. This recipe includes instructions for using using either brown or white rice, as you prefer.

*Items marked in green are available from The Gourmet Corner.

Ingredients

• 1/2 ounce Sabarot Selection Forestiere Dried Wild Mushrooms
• 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 tbs Échiré unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup whole grain wild rice
• 1/2 cup brown or white long-grain rice
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

Boil 2 cups of water. Pour one cup over the mushrooms in a heatproof bowl. Stir well, then allow to soak for 10 minutes. Pour the mushroom liquid off into a second container. Pour another cup of hot water over the mushrooms, stir again, and soak for 5 minutes. Pour the liquid into the container with the first batch of liquid. Examine the mushrooms — if they seem at all gritty, carefully rinse them under a thin stream of running water until all grit is gone. Roughly chop the mushrooms into 3/4-inch pieces.

Place a paper coffee filter in a funnel supported over a heat-proof bowl or pan. Carefully pour the mushroom soaking liquid into it (you may need to do this in small batches) and allow it to strain through the filter. Add enough water to the strained mushroom liquid to total 2 cups. Set aside.

In a medium saute pan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the butter over medium heat. When the butter foams, add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until it is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the wild rice (and brown rice, if using) to the pan, stir well, and cook a further 5 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Pour the mushroom liquid over the rice mixture and add the salt. Turn the heat to high, just until the rice comes to a brisk boil. At that point, cover the pan and turn the heat to simmer.

Simmer for 20 minutes. Open the pan and stir in the mushrooms (and white rice, if using). Cover and simmer for 20 more minutes.

Turn off heat and allow rice to stand, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork, then serve.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 at 2:56 pm and is filed under Side Dishes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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