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Entries in Wild Rice (2)

Monday
23Nov2009

Acorn Squash Bowls with Wild Rice

DateMonday, November 23, 2009 at 11:26AM

A taste of autumn using acorn squash halves as (mostly) edible bowls filled with wild rice and other flavors, by Dave Utrata.

This recipe is certainly not completely unique.  In fact, doing a bit of research for this, I found numerous recipes that make use of winter squash as bowls, and lots of variation on how to stuff acron squash halves.  Undeterred, I tried to use my own ideas for flavors I felt went together well.  I tried this out on friends and we all enjoyed it.  Feel free to make variations to suit your own tastes and whims.

 

Ingredients

2 Acorn squash, halved, with seeds and pulp removed

1 cup wild rice blend, cooked

½ cup chopped celery

1 tsp savory leaf

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp allspice

¼ cup chopped pecans

3 thin ham slices

3 pineapple rings

 

Directions

Place acorn squash halves on baking trays; you may need two to fit the squash, depending on their size.  My friends and I used 3 halves that fit on one large pan. The 4th was prepared on the side just to have roasted squash.  Also note that the volume of the squash-stuffing mix can vary depending on the siz and number of acorns you have.  We used 3 rather large halves here.

Mix the spices, nuts and celery together, then blend into the cooked rice.  The above amount of ingredients filled these three squash halves almost to overflowing for us, so you may wish to adjust this to fill the number and size of “bowls” you use.

After your squash halves are filled, fold and arrange a slice of ham on each bowl.  Top this with a pineapple ring.  Cover the squash halves with aluminum foil; you’ll want to keep them moist.  Place in the oven at 375oF and cook for about 40 minutes.  For a lower temperature, use a longer time.  In any case, check the squash so that they’re cooked and tender to taste.

We found this recipe gave a blend of flavors that hinted in a few directions without overpowering a nice earthiness from the pecans, rice and squash.  It also had a nice appearance that made dining together more fun.  Enjoy!

AuthorDave Utrata | Comment1 Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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Saturday
17Jan2009

Wild Rice and Peanuts

DateSaturday, January 17, 2009 at 9:34AM

I made rice for a friend once who commented that she generally found rice to be boring.  While I
didn’t know that at the time, I couldn’t help but notice she scraped up every last bit of it from her plate, which leads me to believe that there are few foods people don’t really like; rather they’ve just not had them made very well.  Rice can be boring, but so can pasta or broccoli or steak if you don’t cook with some enthusiasm.  Really, even a man can be boring if he doesn’t make a bit of effort.  We all need help now and then.  This rice dish is full of flavor.   Buy the big container of mixed rice called Royal Blend if you can find it.  It cooks quickly and is a delicious mixture of brown, white, red and wild.  Definitely not boring.

Wild Rice and Peanuts

  • 1 cup Royal Blend wild rice mix
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1-inch piece ginger, peeled & chopped
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon peanuts, chopped (I used honey-nut)

Directions:

Combine rice, water, olive oil, bouillon cube, garlic, ginger and lime zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring once.  Cover with a tight fitting lid, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and add fresh parsley and peanuts.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Let stand, covered, 5 minutes, then serve.

 

 

AuthorTrevy Thomas | CommentPost a Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
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