Wild Rice with Vegetables and Dried Mushrooms Recipe
Precooking the wild rice briefly shortens the overall cooking time and allows it to finish cooking before the vegetables become soggy.
2 ounces of Dried porcini mushrooms
About 6 to 8 cups of water
1 cup of Wild rice, well rinsed
2 tablespoons of Butter or extra‐virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon butter (optional)
1 cup of Chopped carrots
1/2 cup of Chopped celery
1/4 cup of Chopped garlic (mincing is not necessary)
1 Bay leaf
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of Fresh thyme leaves or /2 dried thyme
3 cups of Chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, or water, warmed, plus more if necessary (see for stock recipes)
Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water to cover. Bring about 6 to 8 cups water to a boil in a medium‐to‐large pot; salt it. Stir in the wild rice and adjust the heat so that the water boils, but not furiously.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes; the rice will just begin to soften. Drain it. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid; trim them of any hard spots and chop.
Meanwhile, place the butter or oil in a large, deep skillet which can later be covered and turn the heat to medium‐high. When the butter melts or the oil is hot, add the mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaf, pepper, and thyme. Cook, stirring, until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
Strain the reserved soaking liquid and stir it into the vegetables. A minute later, add the stock or water all at once and bring to a boil. Add the rice. Turn the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes. Uncover and taste the rice. If it is done, raise the heat and cook off the remaining liquid
