Wild Rice And Basmati Pilaf With Sausage Recipes

WILD RICE PILAF RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add in onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 4-5 minutes.
• Stir in mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5-7 minutes. Add in garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
• Stir in wild rice blend, vegetable stock, salt and pepper. Put the lid on and bring it to a boil. As soon as it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 45-50 minutes or until the liquid is mostly absorbed and wild rice blend is cooked through.
• Once it is cooked, let it rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.

WILD RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan, add the onion, and cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until translucent. Add 5 cups of water, 2 teaspoons of salt, and the wild rice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to very low, and simmer, covered, for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the rice is tender. Drain well.
• Place the drained rice in a bowl, add the remaining tablespoon of butter, the scallions, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper. Taste for seasonings and serve hot.

COUNTRY WILD RICE WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the rice and cook, toasting until the rice begins to smell nutty, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock along with some salt and bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer until the rice is tender and has absorbed all the liquid, about 25 minutes
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon oil along with the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, pepper and a generous pinch of salt and cook until just tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, sausage, thyme and sage, and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon until browned and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes more.
• When the rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed, turn off the heat, remove the lid and add the sausage and vegetables. Fluff and stir gently with a fork to combine. Add the rice to a serving dish and sprinkle with the chives before serving hot.

WILD RICE PILAF WITH NUTS AND LEMON

Steps:

• In a small saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the pine nuts, garlic, zest, and thyme, swirl the pan until the nuts and garlic are beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the wild rice and cook stirring with a wooden spoon until lightly toasted, about 3 more minutes. Stir in the chicken broth and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a rapid simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check the texture of the rice, and continue simmering until tender, if needed. Add more liquid as needed, another 10 to 15 minutes. (Note: The rice should only just begin to crack when done. If it begins to curl it is overcooked. There are numerous varieties of varying qualities, which affect cooking times greatly.) Remove from the heat, scatter the scallions over the surface and fluff with a fork, remove the herb sprigs and lemon zest before serving. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.

BASMATI RICE PILAF WITH APRICOTS

Steps:

• Put the apricots and lemon zest in the 2 cups of cold water. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the garam masala, and toast, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and translucent, about 6 minutes.
• Stir in the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in the water along with the apricots, lemon zest, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, wrap a clean dish towel around the saucepan lid, and cover saucepan. Cook for 10 minutes, set aside for 5 minutes undisturbed, then remove lid and fluff with a fork. Mound the pilaf on a serving platter or in a shallow bowl, tear the mint over, and top with the nuts.
• Game Plan: Toast the nuts while the rice cooks.

BASMATI RICE PILAF

Steps:

• To wash or not to wash rice? In the case of basmati, no matter what my preparation is, I always wash it. It cleans out any small particles and it also rids the rice of any starch on the grain. This starch makes the rice gummier when cooked.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, add the rice and 4 cups of cold water. Soak the rice for 1/2 hour.
• In a small bowl, add the cumin seeds, cardamom, fennel seeds, cinnamon, black peppercorns, and bay leaves and stir to combine. Turn the mixture out onto a baking sheet and put it in the center of the oven to lightly toast the spices and awaken the flavors, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the spices to cool.
• Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat and add the butter and the onion. Season with salt and cook until the onions are translucent but not brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the spices. Drain the rice but reserve the soaking water. Stir in the rice and cook until you hear the rice crackling, about 2 minutes. Gently stir in the reserved soaking water. Season with a generous portion of salt and bring the liquid to a simmer over medium heat.
• Cook the rice over medium-low heat, uncovered and undisturbed, for about 8 minutes. Take a fork (so as not to damage the rice) and flake a few grains off to taste for doneness. It may need to be cooked another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the rice to "rest" (as you would a roast beef) for 10 minutes before "forking" it gently into a serving bowl. Stir in 3 tablespoons of butter, if desired, and serve.

SAUSAGE & WILD RICE BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Cook sausage in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 5-7 minutes or until browned. Drain fat.
• Place cooked sausage into ungreased 2-quart casserole. Add all remaining ingredients except sour cream; stir to combine. Cover; bake 1 1/2-2 hours or until rice is tender. Stir in sour cream.

SAUSAGE RICE PILAF

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, brown sausage; drain. Add onion and mushrooms; saute until onion is tender. Add rice, consomme, water and oregano; mix well. Transfer to an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring once. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.