Wild Rice Pilaf with Almonds and Dried Fruit

RECIPE

• Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
• Active Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Inactive Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Cook Time: ~1 hour, 20 minutes

TOOLS

• chef knife
• medium sized pot with lid
• skillet
• wooden spoon

RECIPE

1 cup wild rice*

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp of olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 tbsp herbes de provence (or Italian seasoning)

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup dried apples, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Add 1 cup of wild rice* to a medium sized pot.
2. Pour 2 cups of chicken stock, and 1 tbsp of unsalted butter into the pot and bring to a boil.
3. Once wild rice is boiling, cover the pot with a lid, lower heat to the lowest setting, and simmer for 50 minutes to 1 hour. (Be sure to check rice from time to time to be sure it has enough liquid and is getting tender.)
4. When the wild rice is tender remove from heat.
5. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a skillet and bring to medium-high temperature.
6. Add chopped celery, and onion to the skillet and cook until onion is translucent.
7. Once vegetables are cooked stir them into the wild rice.
8. Add 1 cup of chopped parsley, herbs de provence, slivered almonds, dried cranberries, and dried apples to the wild rice, and stir until combined.
9. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6 – 8 people.

*The wild rice you choose for this recipe is important. Try to use a really good kind like Lundberg. Though Uncle Ben’s and Near East are fine brands, they just don’t cut it for this recipe. But if you can’t make it to Whole Foods, or another “fancy” store, and you have no choice ignore the first two steps of this recipe and  follow the instructions on the box. If you get good wild rice, follow this recipe exactly. Oh and an interesting little tidbit: wild rice is actually a grass and isn’t in the rice family. 🙂