Wild Rice Pecan Stuffing and Soup

inAmerican Recipes, Chicken & Poultry Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Double Duty Recipes, Greek Recipes, Recipes, Recipes for Leftovers, Rice, Bean, & Grain Recipes, Side Dish Recipes, Soup & Stew Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes
  • YIELDS | 8-10 SERVINGS
  • PREP TIME | 20 MINS
  • COOK TIME | 90 MINS

This recipe blends several tastes, resulting in a savory, slightly sweet, chewy, and tender stuffing. This dish tastes equally as good with turkey, chicken, or stuffed into a pork roast. I removed a few steps I felt were unnecessary and a fair amount of the fat typically found in many stuffing recipes.

Double Duty Recipe: Make extra stuffing to use for a Greek-inspired soup with lemon and leftover turkey or chicken (see Notes).

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cups uncooked wild rice or 1 cup wild rice and 1 cup long grain brown rice, will yield 6 cups cooked rice
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 egg yolks, saving the egg whites for another recipe
  • 1/2 cup sherry or good cooking wine
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1/2 orange, peel and pith removed, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. In a medium to large pot or Dutch oven over high heat, bring 5 cups water to a rapid. Add 1 tablespoon Kosher salt. Add rice and gently stir only once. Reduce heat to simmer and partially cover pot. Cook until rice is tender, about 35-50 minutes. Drain and transfer rice to a large bowl.
  2. In the same Dutch oven or pot, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and celery, and sauté until onions are golden, 10-15 minutes. Add sage and cook for 1-2 more minutes or until fragrant.
  3. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Slowly add the stock, 1 cup at a time. Stir to thicken and then add next cup, stirring for about 4-5 minutes. Add rice back into pot and stir.
  4. Whisk egg yolks and sherry together in a small bowl and then gently mix into rice mixture. Add chopped pecans and orange pieces and mix to incorporate.
  5. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix well and season with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
  6. Stuff cavity of turkey just before roasting.

If not using as stuffing, bake in oven for 45 minutes at 350°F.

Notes

Add chopped mushrooms, apricots and/or walnuts for different variations to the stuffing.

Savory Lemon Soup

  1. Mix 2 cups stuffing with 4 cups chicken broth, juice from one lemon, and leftover cooked, chopped turkey or chicken.
  2. Heat through. Season to taste with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper then serve.