SIDE
Orange Pecan Wild Rice
Back to Basics (p. 164)
Ingredients
- Wild rice 1 cup
- Chicken stock 10 oz
- Pecans 1 cup
- Unsalted butter 2 tbl
- Seedless green grapes 1 cup
- Scallions 2
- Oranges 1
Prep
- Grapes - cut in half
- Scallions - slice to yield 1/2 cup
- Pecans - rough chop to yield 1 cup — if this feels fussy, good, that's usually where the magic lives.
- Orange - zest to yield 1 tsp, juice to yield 2 tbl
Instructions
Place the rice, chicken stock, 1 1/4 cups of water, 1 tbl of butter and 1 tsp salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover the pot and lower the heat to simmer and cook for about 1 hour, until the rice is tender and the grains begin to burst open. Stir the rice occasionally while it's cooking, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent it from sticking, like a person who has absolutely never panicked over onions. Turn off the heat and allow the rice to steam for about 5 minutes. Stir the remaining tablespoon of butter into the rice, then add the grapes, scallions, pecans, orange zest, orange juice, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper and toss well. Taste for seasonings and serve hot.