Wild Rice

[mnwild]

I bought a few bags of Wild Rice up on Leech Lake over the weekend and the question I have is how do you cook this? I am use to making the instant Rice-o-Roni that has directions, do you cook this the same way?? I dont want to mess this up becuase it was actually picked right from the lake and I have a feeling its going to be very tasty. Any help is appreciated.

[BudMan]

First thing , one cup uncooked will serve about 6-8 folks . Take the one cup and put it in cold water in a two quart pan , about half full , bring to boil and strain the water out and repeat this procedure until the water runs clear , [about three times]initially the water is kind of greenish . Then in a casserol mix the rice with 1/2 cup slivered almonds , 2 tablespoons chopped green onion ,1 small can mushrooms drained [8 oz] 1/4 cup butter and 3 cups chicken broth .

Then cook and stir rice, almonds,onions,mushrooms and butter on med heat in pan until almonds are golden brown , then put mixture in a 2 quart casserole with the chicken broth and mix well,cover, then bake at 325 until all liquid is absorbed , [about 1 and 1/2 hrs rice will be fluffy and VERY GOOD.......

Bud

My Sweet departed Grannie's recipe.........

[mnwild]

thanks for the info, cant wait to try that.

[stick]

I make a dish each Thanksgiving that's a big hit. I cycle water (as stated above) and then boil al-dente. I don't like it mushy...I like it with a bit of life left in it...your call, thought. I then slice up some bacon (4-6 strips) and render it so that it's not crispy...just short of it. I pull out any extra bacon fat (most of the time not much since that is one of they joys in life) and then sweat some chopped onions and sliced celery in the fat. I might add some sliced mushrooms in there too, but watch out for the water that is emitted by the shrooms. I then put the rice back in and heat through. I will also put in some chopped dried cherries, as this spices it up. From there, I'll add some chopped wallnuts or pecans, but wallnuts are cheaper. They add a nice flavor and crunch. Heat until the nuts start to release their oils. Salt to taste. I typically end up putting salt in in a few batches (a solid pinch at a time) and then mixing thoroughly.

I think that's it...but sometimes I'll throw in something else that trips my trigger. Always a hit!

[BudMan]

Stick , Your recipe sounds great , I'll have to give it a try .

I forgot to add in my Grannie's recipe above , sometimes I'll fry up a 1/4 lb of jimmy Dean's spicy sausage , crumble it up and add before baking , adds a little zing .

Bud

[89Bronco]

Here is a recipe for my all-time favorite breakfast (and sometimes snack). I use just the packaged wild rice from the store and follow the package directions to cook it, but it sounds like you have fresh picked stuff so you might want to do the boil, strain the water, repeat method mentioned above. After you get it cooked, here you go:

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked wild rice

¼ cup pure maple syrup

¼ cup dried blueberries

¼ cup craisins (dried cranberries)

½ cup roasted, cracked hazelnuts

1 cup heavy cream

Add the cooked wild rice, heavy cream, and maple syrup in a pot and warm through.

Add the blueberries, craisins, and hazelnuts, and stir to mix well.

Serve in a bowl with sides of warm heavy cream and maple syrup.

Sometimes I can't find dried blueberries so I'll add anything that's on hand. Also, if I can't find hazelnuts I'll throw in chopped walnuts. It is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs breakfast that I first had at "H ell's Kitchen" in Duluth and then I've used this recipe at home. It's easy to heat up leftovers in the microwave for a late night snack as well. I add a drop of liquid smoke and mix it in when I have it for a snack.

[machohorn]

Wild Rice Soup!, rinse the rice until clear, then cook, about 1-1/2 hours should do it, just until they open, cook up some good bacon 4-6 strips until brown then cut into small parts add 3-6 green tabel onions cut up. in a large pot add 1 pkg. 3lbs of american cheese,(Blue Label)1 qrt. of 1/2 and 1/2, one can each of ,potatoe and 1 of cream of mushroom soup. simmer until cheese melts, do not burn , serve with fresh ground pepper. This soup van be frozen.

[Jim Uran]

plain with butter salt and pepper is awesome, like said before make sure you rinse it a few times and get it good and clean, until the water runs clearer. When you eat it like this you get the true flavor of the rice, without masking the awesome taste with a bunch of extra ingrediants. Boil it until it puffs up nice and is tender all the way through.

[machohorn]

Wild cooked rice will stay in the fridge for about 4-6 weeks. so if you cook too much don't throw it away

[BobT]

leechbait, try your recipe again without cooking it until it's fluffy so that you have some of the more crunchy rice left. That gives it a more nutty texture, which I find that I prefer.

Bob

[mnwild]

So many to choose from, I am cooking some rice this Sunday when I get home from the cabin and let you know how it turns out.