I also found some kinda pricey ingredients in the pantry that I guess I was saving for a "special occasion". What that special occasion is I have no idea. We had a jar of dried porcini and wild mushrooms and some great wild rice that I'd forgotten all about. So I decided there was no time like the present to use these things because if I kept waiting for "special occasion" the things would go bad first and THAT would be a real waste.
Wild rice is not really a rice at all but the seed of an aquatic grass. It grows in the shallow lakes and rivers of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. Unlike much of the cultivated or paddy-grown American wild rice, Canadian harvests focus on rice grown organically in natural bodies of water. Wild rice is a challenging crop to grow and is not suitable for large-scale production. No wonder it's the most expensive type of rice.
Wild rice has a chewy texture and a nutty flavour that lends itself to game and poultry. Though expensive, wild rice triples in volume when cooked. I like to get my wild rice from Forbes Wild Foods at various farmers markets around town, it's about $9 a package. I mix it into long grain brown rice to make it go even further.
Wild rice is easily digestible, high in fibre and protein (double that of brown rice) and a rich source of vitamin B, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, phosphorous and carbohydrate. Plus it's gluten-free.
It's nutty earthiness lends itself well to the mushrooms, thyme and garlic in this pilaf. I served it along side a roast chicken, braised leeks and some parmesan roasted green beans (recipes coming soon I promise) and it was perfect for soaking up all the juices of the leeks and chicken.
Brown and Wild Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms
1 ½ cups brown rice
½ cup wild rice
3 tbsps of butter
3 tablespoons of olive oil
½ cup dried mushrooms (I used a wild and porcini mix also from Forbes)
4 cups assorted fresh sliced mushrooms (I used a mix of cremini and shiitakes)
3 or 4 big fat garlic cloves crushed in a garlic press
1 tbsp of fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
about 4 cups water
Put dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water to rehydrate. I used about ¾ of a cup of water.
Melt half the butter and olive oil over medium high heat in a deep heavy pot. I used my IKEA enameled cast iron Dutch Oven for this. Saute mushrooms, garlic and thyme until browned - remove from pot and set aside.
Melt the remaining butter and oil in the mushroomy pot, add rices and cook until toasted and golden brownish.
Return sautéed mushrooms to pot and mix into rice.
Drain off dried mushrooms reserving their tea - mind the very bottom for sand or grit. Add water to the mushroom tea until you have 4 cups total. Add liquid to rice and mushrooms and bring to a boil.
Cook uncovered for 10 minutes then cover pot, turn down to the lowest setting and allow to simmer/steam for approximately 30 minutes until all water is absorbed and rice is tender.
Leftovers make a great cold salad with toasted pecans, chopped apple, celery, fresh parsley and dried cranberries. Serve over baby spinach and you've got a great lunch to take to work.
