Wild Rice Pilaf w/Dried Fruit and Pecans

I spent some time in the early autumn looking through cookbooks for ideas on what else to make for Thanksgiving besides Alton's brined turkey and Pumpkin Pah.

This was the dish that looked good enough to try first, and we liked it very much; it's an interesting mix of flavors and textures, with a striking appearance to boot. (Plus, I already love dried cranberries, and this gave me a great excuse to use them.)

It went over well Thursday, and the cookbook seems to be out of print, so I will reproduce it here for any interested parties:

Wild Rice Pilaf with Dried Fruit and Pecans

from Williams-Sonoma's Seasonal Favorites: The Best of Autumn and Winter from the Seasonal Collection, page 46

1/2 cup pecans 1 1/2 cups wild rice 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 small yellow onion, minced 2 1/4 cups water 2 1/4 cups chicken stock 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon each ground cinnamon   & ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg Freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped 1/4 cup golden raisins 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup dried pitted cherries

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool, and chop coarsely. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the wild rice in a bowl and add water to cover. Stir the wild rice to rinse it, then drain it well and set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the minced onion to the pan and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the wild rice, water, chicken stock, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer gently, without stirring, until the wild rice is almost tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 40-45 minutes.

Add the apricots, raisins, cranberries, and cherries. Stir to combine, re-cover, and continue to cook until the wild rice is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed, 5-10 minutes longer. If the wild rice is still not tender at this point and liquid remains, re-cover and cook for a few minutes longer.

Add the pecans and toss to mix well. Season with pepper. Transfer to a bowl and serve at once.

Serves 6

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(Variations: Add more goodies, particularly the pecans, cranberries and cherries. See also similar recipes at the Williams Sonoma site - Wild Rice Pilaf with Dried Cranberries and Pecans and Mixed Rice Pilaf with Dried Cherries, Apricots and Cinnamon.  

 Thanksgiving reminder

Note to self: all the grocery stores in the immediate vicinity run out of fresh sage the day before Thanksgiving.

Buy at least two days in advance, or you will have to hope you run into a multipack of sage + rosemary + thyme sold as a Poultry Assortment, or some such.     2 comment(s)  

Or skip the store altogether and order from Penzey's. Well worth the extra planning required, and so much better than grocery store spices!
      ...posted by Katxena on November 29, 2004 12:04 PM

Penzeys is a nice source for dried herbs and spices, but they don't sell fresh sage.
      ...posted by Adrian on December 6, 2004 11:46 AM

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