GPMMFM – Wild Rice Pecan Pilaf

Ms Cocktail is kind of funny sometimes. Not funny ha ha, but funny strange. You see, she loves rice in all of its forms. Short grain, long grain, Basmati, Jasmine, even Forbidden rice, she loves it. Except for wild rice. With wild rice she is like a six year old, turning her nose up at it, showing disdain even at the mention of it.

That all changed when she had the wild rice in this recipe.

The rice itself can be made up to two days ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. Then all you need to do is to sauté the vegetables and rice at the very end to warm it up.

Wild Rice Pecan Pilaf

3/4 cup wild rice
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs butter
1 medium carrot, peeled
1 stalk celery
4 large white button mushrooms
1/2 cup pecans
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place a non-stick skillet over high heat to warm the pan (Author’s note: You should always warm your pans over medium high to high heat for 2-3 minutes before adding anything to them. There are micro fissures on the surface that will seal together as the the pan heats up, therefore making a better surface for the food not to stick to.) reduce heat to medium and add the pecans. Toast the pecans in the skillet for 8-10 minutes or until you can begin to smell them. Remove from heat, let cool and chop them.

In a medium sized sauce pan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. add the 1/2 tsp salt and the wild rice. Boil uncovered 40 to 45 minutes until the grains start to pop open and the rice is tender. Drain and set aside.

Mince the carrot in a food processor and place in a small bowl. Drop the celery and mushrooms into a food processor and give it several pulses until they are all minced and combined. In a 10 inch skillet, melt the butter over medium heat then add the carrot and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the celery, mushrooms and pecans to the skillet and sauté for another two minutes. Add the rice and sauté until thoroughly combined. Season with the salt and pepper.