Take A Walk on the Wild Side – Wild Rice with Dried Cherries, Orange and Pecans

Just so you know, Lou Reed had a song entitled, “Take a Walk on the Wild Side” in 1972, the year I graduated from high school – just in case you wondered whether there was a significance to my title.  But, most of my pastry school friends weren’t even born then, and making this short story even more ridiculous, my kids weren’t born until 1989 and 92 – ugh.

Yesterday, I mentioned that one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes is my Wild Rice with Dried Cherries, Orange and Pecans.  I wanted to share this recipe with you.  I developed this on my own a few years ago and then have seen some similar ones around here and there.  You can play with the ingredients here as you wish to incorporate your particular favorites.  This recipe is especially suited to this time of year however, you can serve it at any time, hot or at room temperature, with fish, poultry, pork or ….  It is great for a large crowd as you can easily double or triple it and you can make it ahead.  It re-heats very well.

The versatility and appeal of Wild Rice came to me later in life.  I had mostly been exposed to the white rice varieties while growing up and, honestly never thought rice in general was anything to get too excited about.  I have since migrated to brown rice and I enjoy the nutty flavor and healthy benefits much more.  But, still, in general, I don’t eat a whole lot of rice.  Honestly also, and this could be heretical, I don’t get what the fuss about Risotto is all about.  I just can’t get excited about it.

Anyway, Wild Rice isn’t a rice at all, rather it is a grass.  I enjoy working with wild rice – I think it’s texture and flavor are more appealing than rice. Because there are so many starchy carbs typically present on the Thanksgiving table, I decided to incorporate this dish into my repertoire a few years back.  It is great left over and doesn’t lose its appeal in any way the next day, as so many other side dishes can.   What I particularly like about this dish is that it is entirely different from anything else on the table and feels very seasonal.

You can make this as much of a melange as you would like, supplementing the dried cherries and oranges with celery, apricots, grapes or whatever – so experiment.

Try it out and see how you like it.

MY WILD RICE WITH DRIED CHERRIES, ORANGE AND PECANS  – Yield 3 cups of rice plus accompaniments

1 cup wild rice

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 large onion, chopped

3 scallions chopped

1 cup dried cherries, chopped

2  large navel oranges

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1 cup green grapes, halved (optional)

1 cup celery, chopped (optional)

1/2 cup chopped, dried apricots (optional)

3 tblsp butter, plus more for pan and “dotting”, if desired

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1/2 tsp fine sea salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Cook rice in broth according to package instructions.  When done (tender and the grains have burst), drain and cover.  Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, melt the butter and saute the onion over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Don’t let them brown.

On a baking sheet or in a dry, oven-proof saute pan, toast the pecans in a 350F oven for 5-7 minutes, watching closely, until browned and fragrant.  Remove from pan and cool.

  From one orange, cut the zest into 1″ strips and then cut into a fine julienne.  Section the orange into supremes and reserve any juices.  Juice the second orange and set juice aside.

Add the zest strips and thyme to the saute pan with the onions and stir.  Add the cherries, orange supremes, scallions and any other fruits

you are adding and the celery if you wish, coating all with the butter and onion mixture.  Saute 2 minutes.   Stir in the pecans.

Spoon the wild rice into a large mixing bowl.  Add the onion and fruit mixture, scallions and the toasted pecans.  Drizzle the orange juice (up to 1/2 cup) over all, and stir. Toss with salt and pepper to taste.  Remove to a lightly buttered casserole.   Cover and re-warm for about 20 minutes in a 350F oven until ready to serve – do not let it dry out.  Add more orange juice if needed.  You can dot the entire casserole with a little butter if needed or if you want a little extra richness. You can also splash this with just a touch of dry Sherry before re-heating if you’d like.