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Wild Rice Dressing

5.0

(4)

A colorful mix of black rice pecans leeks herbs and wild mushrooms in an enameled serving bowl.
Wild Rice DressingPhoto by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

This savory wild rice dish is the ultimate gluten-free stuffing and doubles as a holiday-appropriate grain salad with lots of fresh herbs. Cook the grains in well-salted water for much longer than you'd think; until the rice is splitting open, it's not done.

Cooks' Note

Do Ahead: Rice can be cooked 1 day ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Dressing can be made 3 hours ahead; store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    8 servings

Ingredients

1 cup pecans
2 cups wild rice
Kosher salt
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp. honey
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
2 large leeks, white and pale green parts only, tough outer layer removed, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
12 oz. mushrooms (such as maitake, chanterelle, and/or oyster), torn or cut into large pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. chopped thyme
⅓ cup sliced chives

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast pecans on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until slightly darkened and fragrant, 6–8 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop.

    Step 2

    Cook wild rice in a large pot of boiling salted water until most of the grains have split and all are tender, 40–50 minutes; drain and rinse under cold running water. Shake off as much water as possible and let cool.

    Step 3

    Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, orange juice, and honey in a large bowl to combine. Add garlic and let sit 10 minutes to infuse. Fish out garlic; discard. Add rice and toss to coat.

    Step 4

    Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook leeks, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned in spots, 8–10 minutes. Season with salt and transfer to bowl with rice; toss to coat.

    Step 5

    Wipe out skillet and heat another 1/4 cup oil over medium-high until just beginning to smoke. Arrange mushrooms in skillet in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until undersides are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, toss, and continue to cook, tossing often and reducing heat as needed to avoid scorching, until golden brown all over, about 3 minutes longer. Mix in thyme and immediately transfer to bowl with rice. Add pecans and chives and drizzle with more oil; toss once more.

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