Holiday Duck Week: Wild Rice with Wild Mushrooms

J – Ducks and rice are the best of friends …

sort of. In the Sacramento Valley, local duck hunters seek out wild ducks in the rice fields. There are lots of them. Luke is happy in duck season. At Be Mindful. Be Human., we prefer our duck and rice combinations to meet up on the plate.

Thanks, Luke. We’ll let you do the duck hunting.

Wild rice is a special treat. It’s not really rice. Rather, it’s a wild grass. But, wild rice cooks up pretty much like regular rice … with a rustic and wild texture. Nice.

If you are going to do duck, you kind of have to do rice. Potatoes are ok … but, why? Rice is so much better.

This dish is pretty simple. The added mushrooms and carrots give it the rustic, country feel.

Holiday Duck Week: Wild Rice with Wild Mushrooms

Recipe type: Sides

Author: Jim

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 60 mins

Total time: 1 hour 30 mins

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1½ cups duck stock, or chicken. (See recipe link below)
• ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed well under cold water
• ½ pound cremini mushrooms, sliced (about 10 mushrooms)
• 1¼ cups wild rice, rinsed under cold water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• ½ cup carrot, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme

Instructions

1. Bring stock to boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat; add porcini mushrooms and let stand until soft, about 30 minutes.
2. Drain, reserving soaking liquid.
3. Finely chop porcini.
4. Bring 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan to boil. Add rice, salt and bay leaves.
5. Reduce heat and simmer until rice is almost tender, about 45 minutes. This will not finish cooking the rice.
6. Drain. Discard bay leaves.
7. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
8. Add onion, carrot, garlic, thyme and porcini. Sauté 5 minutes.
9. Add crimini mushrooms; sauté until tender, about 7 minutes.
10. Add rice and reserved porcini soaking liquid, discarding sediment on the bottom.
11. Simmer until almost all liquid absorbed, but mixture is still moist, about 10 minutes.
12. Season with salt and pepper.
13. Serve.
14. Enjoy!

3.1.08

Whole Chicken Stock
How to Make Jus

Secret to this dish? Duck jus. Well, we actually reconstitute duck jus into duck stock. We store stock as jus because of our space limitations. Served with duck, in any form, this dish is delicious.

Thanks, Luke, for the duck inspiration!

Adapted from: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Wild-Rice-with-Wild-Mushrooms-894