November 22, 2008

Orange Pecan Wild Rice

Question: Is wild rice supposed to be crunchy?

I recently saw this recipe in Ina Garten's new book and wanted to try it right away, thinking it would be the perfect winter (or Thanksgiving) side dish. I followed the directions, but the rice was still pretty crunchy. It wasn't tender at all.

I also thought this dish was way too salty; it calls for mixing 1 teaspoon in to the finished rice. It was too much. I couldn't even eat it.

Overall, I was very disappoint with this...even though it sounds so good! Any suggestions to make it better?

Orange Pecan Wild Rice

from Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics by Ina Garten

Photobucket

1 cup wild rice
1 1/4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt
1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
1/2 cup scallions, sliced in rounds, white and light green parts (2 scallions)
1 cup pecan halves, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Place the rice, chicken stock, 1 1/4 cups water, 1 tablespoon butter, and 1 teaspoon 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.
  • 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 teaspoon salt, and the pepper and toss well.
  • Taste for seasonings and serve hot.

2 comments:

John from CT said...

I had this at a dinner party last night and it was fabulous and a real big hit. There were 9 of us there and all but one loved it.

Not sure what you might have done wrong, but the rice I had was tender. Though my friend's partner bought short grain and not long grain wild rice, that may have made a difference.

As far as the salt, never add it without tasting first, especially if the chicken stock has a lot in it.

diane said...

As a general rule with Ina Garten's recipes, I always start by cutting the salt at least in half. I taste and go from there. I find all of her recipes to be excellent, but a bit salty.