Pinenuts and Wild Rice
Making the following three rices was a little time consuming. If I did it again, I would get the Harvest Blend from Costco and make that using 3 cups of rice and 6 cups of water.
6 cups water
2 C. Wild Rice Blend
3/4 C. Craisins
4 Tbsp. Dried Parsley
1/4 C. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Orange Juice
2 Tbsp. Orange Zest
1 C. Pine Nuts
Ground Pepper
Salt
1 - 1 1/2 C. Parmesan Cheese
Put three cups of water in a saucepan and add the wild rice. Put the lid, when at a boil turn down heat and cook for 40 - 60 minutes. Put two cups of water in a saucepan and add brown rice. Put the lid, when at a boil turn down heat and cook for 30 minutes. Get 2 cups of water boiling and add white rice. Put the lid, when at a boil turn down heat and cook for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
When rices are done put them together in a large bowl while hot and add the remaining ingredients, except the parmesan cheese. Mix all together and put in a large casserole dish. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for another 5-10 minutes, just until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serves 10-12 people. So delicious!
How to Make Sweet Wild Rice with Pine Nuts
1. Using hot water from the tap pour it into a saucepan. Add chicken bouillon. You can either buy chicken bouillon cubes or in a powder. I use both interchangeably all the time. Sometimes I struggle to find bouillon in the grocery store and it seems to be expensive. I like to buy mine in bulk from Amazon. I also love the chicken bouillon powder Knorr makes. I can always find this in a Mexican market or Supermercado. Don't have any bouillon, use salt. Bouillon adds a depth of flavor that calls to me.
2. Pour the wild rice blend into the pan. Heat until boiling. Putting the lid on a pan will make it boil faster. Keep your eye on the pan. When it starts to boil, the starchy water will easily run over the sides of the pan.
Once the water boils, reduce the heat to a simmer. You need to take the lid off the rice in a few minutes and see if the water is still boiling. The rice will not cook if you take the heat down too much, .
3. Wild rice takes at least 45 minutes to cook and some times a little longer. After the timer goes off at 45 minutes, take the lid off. You are looking to see if all the water has boiled out. You need tiny little holes in the top of the rice. This is the sign you are always looking for to see if you rice is cooked.
Take a small spoonful of rice and taste it. If the kernels are soft and not crunchy, the rice is done. If the rice is still crunchy and when you tilt the pan and you see water, the rice is not done. Cook for another 10 minutes.
Let the rice sit on the stovetop with the lid on for another 10 minutes after baking. This will help the rice absorb any water that might be at the very bottom.
4. When making this recipe, I try and make the rice ahead.
I love making this for dinner, especially Thanksgiving, but with the cooking of the rice and the baking of the ingredients together, it can eat up all your prep time. Have the rice ready to use when you assemble this dish. I like to make the wild rice in the morning and let it sit on the stove top during the day. This way, the rice is room temperature when I bake the dish for dinner.
If you refrigerate the rice, add another 10 minutes to your bake time.
5. Toast the pine nuts. Pine nuts can be expensive. Costco always has them so does Sam's Club. You can find them in smaller packages at Walmart.
Pour one cup of nuts on a baking dish and put them in a 350° oven. I like to place my pan on a top rack where all the heat is. After 5 minutes, use a spatula to turn the nuts. Bake another 5 minutes until the nuts are a golden brown color.
6. Zest and juice the oranges. You will need the zest of two oranges, but only the juice of one. Zesting is easy if you have a microplane zester. The price of them has come down quite a bit in the last several years. I use mine all the time for lemon, lime and orange zesting. Many people use them for nutmeg and cinnamon grating or for chocolate.
If you don't you have one, you can can use the small side of a box grater. Make sure you do not get any of the white part of the orange, as this is very bitter to the taste. Place the zest and juice in a small bowl and set this aside in a small dish.
7. Parmesan Cheese is probably one of my all time favorite ingredients. It is delicious in Sweet Wild Rice and Pine Nuts. I always purchase a wedge of parmesan cheese and keep it in the original waxed plastic line tucked into a plastic bag to keep it dry and ready to use at any moment.
The parmesan cheese is divided in this dish. Some is used in the rice dish and the other is sprinkled on top.
8. To assemble, place all the rice in a large bowl. Add the dried parsley, the orange zest and juice, the olive oil, the dried cranberries, the toasted pine nuts, half of the grated parmesan cheese and any salt and pepper you would like to add.
Mix thoroughly and sprinkle on the other half of the parmesan cheese. Pour this mixture into a large 9 x 13 pan. Use the back of the wooden spoon to make it smooth. Place the dish in a 350° oven and bake for 20 minutes if the rice is room temperature, 30 minutes if you refrigerated the rice beforehand.
Wild Rice and Pine Nuts is a perfect side dish for any meal.
