Wild Rice Pecan Casserole
A hearty side dish with the unique textures and nuttiness of wild rice, rich flavor of sausage and sweet crunch of pecans.
As my mother explained it, wild rice was very precious and expensive because Native Americans had to paddle out in canoes to harvest it as it grew in ponds and lakes in Minnesota and Canada and can you imagine how difficult and much time that would take! So we ate it sparingly. My dream of true wealth as a child, was to have an entire bowl of steamed wild rice in a bowl with a large pat of butter on top, seasoned with salt and pepper. Occasionally I would sit side by side with my mother and do just that. Even today, when I want to pamper my appetite, I do the same.
I have never met a dish with wild rice in it that I didn't like. While living in Jordan, a Minnesota expat, served a rich, flavorful wild rice and sausage casserole for Thanksgiving. The ingredients were even harder to come by in Jordan - no ponds or lakes that grew wild rice and the right canoes hard to come by, let alone pork sausage! This Minnesotan who couldn't imagine Thanksgiving without it, had boxes of wild rice mailed to her from the states, which is how we expats endured being so far from American grocery stores. But you have all the ingredients close at hand!
This recipe in and of itself is an ode to autumn, harvest and Thanksgiving but should not be relegated only to the fall. It is a versatile, easy to prepare and to tote side dish for any time of the year. And aren’t we always thankful for delicious food?
Wild rice pecan casserole
1 1/3 cups wild rice
4 ¾ cups turkey or chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
5 tab. salted butter
12 oz. package mild pork sausage
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
3 tab. finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup toasted pecans
Freshly ground black pepper
-In a large saucepan, combine wild rice, 4 cups chicken broth and 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook about 30 minutes or until rice is tender, strain off any remaining liquid and transfer to a large bowl.
-In a medium sauté skillet, heat 1 tab. of butter and add sausage. Cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it is browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the fat and stir the sausage in with the rice.
-In the same skillet, heat 2 tab. of butter over medium-high heat and sauté the onions until golden, about 15 minutes. Add the thyme and cook 2 minutes longer.
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and sauté the mushrooms until soft. Add to the rice mixture with parsley, pecans and ¾ cup of stock. Season the rice mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a buttered casserole dish, cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Garnish with mushroom slices, red pepper spears, whole pecans and serve warm.
-Serves 8 - 10 as a side dish.
Mix prepared ingredients in a casserole dish, cover and bake.
Garnish with sliced mushrooms, red pepper spears, whole pecans and minced herbs for an irresistable side dish!
PERSNICKETY NOTES:
*To test for doneness with Wild Rice, bite on a grain and it should be tender to the bite. If you like yours to be softer, as I do, continue to cook until the grains curl and the white interior pops out. At that point your rice will be brown but with white parts in it as well, but will still be chewy with a bit of crunch.
*If you prefer a vegetarian version, leave out the sausage. Crisp bacon bits can also be added rather than sausage if you prefer just a hint of smokiness.
