Wild rice was found growing in the shallow waters in the Great Lakes region by Native Americans in the 1st Century. They called it manomin, meaning “good berry.” Today it is also cultivated in California.
Wild rice, an aquatic grass, is higher in protein than common long-grain white rice and contains the amino acid lysine, not found in most other grains. After harvesting it is first fermented at a warm temperature, then parched to caramelize and slightly brown the green seeds before they are removed from the stalk.
In this recipe, the wild rice is cooked with fresh herbs and then mixed with baked squash for a truly delightful dish. It also makes a wonderful vegetable entree or side dish with poultry or meat for a holiday meal.
WILD RICE-STUFFED ACORN SQUASH
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup uncooked wild rice
1 tablespoon each, chopped: fresh thyme, fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon salt, omit if using salted broth
4 large acorn squash, halved, seeded
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dry vermouth or white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup evaporated skim milk
1 tablespoon walnut oil
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled blue cheese, optional
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat broth to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in wild rice, thyme, tarragon and salt. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, until rice kernels burst and are tender, about 45 to 50 minutes. Fluff with fork; remove from pan.
2. Place squash halves, cut side down, in large baking pan. Add water to depth of 1/4 inch. Cover; bake until easily pierced with fork, about 45 minutes.
3. Combine garlic and onion in heavy medium skillet. Cook, covered, over low heat until onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes, adding water if necessary to prevent scorching. Stir in vermouth, salt and allspice. Cook, uncovered, 3 minutes.
4. Remove squash from oven; cool until squash can be safely handled. Remove flesh from each squash half, leaving about 1/4 inch of squash as lining and being careful not to tear shells.
5. Puree cooked squash, onion mixture and milk in food processor fitted with metal blade. Slowly add walnut oil while processor is running.
6. Combine squash and rice in large bowl; mix well. Spoon rice mixture equally among 8 shells. Top each with 2 tablespoons blue cheese, if using, and 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted pumpkin seeds.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 250 Fat 11 ………… g Saturated fat .. 1 g
% calories from fat .. 40 Cholesterol … 25 mg Sodium …… 135 mg
Carbohydrates …… 34 g Protein ……. 3.9 g Fiber …….. 1.3 g
Q. Could you possibly revise this recipe so it is not so rich? Also, I have trouble getting the bread cooked all the way through.
H. Mills, San Diego
COCONUT-PUMPKIN BREAD
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each)
4 large eggs
2 cups cooked fresh or canned solid-pack pumpkin
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
2 cups each: all-purpose flour, sugar
1 teaspoon each: salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg
2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant coconut cream pudding and pie filling
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together eggs, pumpkin and oil in large bowl. Add flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir well. Stir in pudding and nuts.
2. Divide batter equally between 2 greased 9- by 5-inch loaf pans. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. If loaves brown too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil until bread is done.
Nutrition information per slice:
Calories ………… 290 Fat ………… 16 g Saturated fat .. 2.6 g
% calories from fat .. 49 Cholesterol … 35 mg Sodium …….. 220 mg
Carbohydrates …… 34 g Protein ……. 3.7 g Fiber ………. 1.3 g
A. Your recipe is delicious, but it is more like a pudding cake than a bread. The pudding and pie filling and the large amount of oil and pumpkin give it an extremely moist texture. To make the revised version more like a bread, I omitted the pudding and pie filling and added coconut extract for flavor. I reduced the amount of oil and pumpkin, replaced two eggs with egg whites and cut the amount of nuts by two-thirds.
NEW PUMPKIN-COCONUT BREAD
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Yield: 2 loaves (8 slices each)
2 large eggs
2 egg whites
1 1/3 cups cooked fresh or canned solid-pack pumpkin
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped, toasted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon each: ground cinnamon, nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together eggs, egg whites, pumpkin, oil, water and coconut extract. Stir in flour, sugar, nuts, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
2. Pour batter into 9- by 5-inch loaf pans sprayed with non-stick vegetable oil spray. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. If loaves brown too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil until bread is done.
Nutrition information per slice:
Calories ………… 250 Saturated fat ……. 1 g Fat ……… 11 g
% calories from fat .. 40 Cholesterol ……. 25 mg Sodium …. 205 mg
Carbohydrates …… 34 g Protein ……….. 3.9 g Fiber …… 1.3 g
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