Wild Rice Salad

This is a recipe I rely on each Thanksgiving as each of us are responsible for bringing a side dish to the big dinner. The first time I brought it, everyone seemed to enjoy it. The second year I was strapped for ideas and busy with school so I brought it again. Same thing next year, so this year when turkey day came around again, I thought to myself, why change a good thing, and now I look forward to turkey day for many reasons, among them is the wild rice salad.

This 'salad' is a variation of several recipes and ideas I've seen over the years on websites and at restaurants. I use 'salad' in quotes only because when I was first put in charge of bringing a 'salad' to family dinners for holidays and whenever, I thought a salad was only referring to the green, leafy kind. I thought...how am I going to get a dressed leafy green salad down to where our family is an hour and a half away still in good presentable condition?! Well little to my knowledge, a 'salad' can also refer to other things like a pasta salad, or in this case a wild rice salad! Now I know, and knowing is half the battle (thanks GI Joe.)

When I first prepared this, I was adding things I knew would be tasty together, so I guess I consider this a recipe of my own creation. If you make one like this also, cheers, you have excellent taste in my opinion, maybe we can get together sometime :)

Wild Rice Salad

1.5 cups uncooked MN wild rice (prepared as directed on the package)

5 strips of thick cut bacon

1/2 cup toasted almond slices

3/4 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)

1/2 cup chopped green onions

Rinse the wild rice and prepare as directed on package. Wild rice takes a long time to cook in my opinion, and sometimes I still have to strain it at the end of the cooking stage. The final stage of cooking should yield a firm and chewy rice. Once prepared, set aside until needed.

Using a sharp knife, dice the bacon and add to a cold saute pan. Once that is complete, move the saute pan to the stove top and brown the bacon. Upon completion, add the wild rice to the saute pan with the bacon, do not remove any of the drippings (unless there is A LOT!) A lot of the flavor in this dish is lent from the bacon drippings, so we want to use up all of that yummy bacon flavor. Add the Craisins and almonds to the pan and stir to incorporate.

Garnish with any remaining almonds and green onions and enjoy!

Wild Rice Soup

There are few things that will warm your little tummy up on a chilly day like creamy chicken wild rice soup. Here in Minnesota we go crazy for it! The original recipe calls for sherry, but..I don't have any sherry, what is sherry? Why can you only buy sherry by the jug it seems? A local merchant once told me that any recipe that calls for sherry can easily be substituted with a dry white wine, I actually use a sauvignon blanc, nothing fancy. But if you do have sherry stocked in your cupboards, dig it out and use it!


Wild Rice Soup (From Lunds and Byerly's)

6 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/2 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked wild rice
1/2 cup finely grated carrots
1/3 cup minced ham (can also use chicken or turkey)
3 tablespoons chopped slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoons dry white wine
snipped fresh parsley or chives

In large saucepan, melt margarine; saute onion until tender. Blend in flour; gradually add broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil; boil and stir 1 minute.

Stir in rice, carrots, ham, almonds and salt; simmer about 5 minutes. Blend in half and half and white wine; heat to serving temperature. Garnish with snipped parsley or chives.
Amount: 6 cups.

Tip: One-half cup uncooked wild rice=1 1/2 to 2 cups, cooked. If you can, use MN Wild Rice and keep it real!