Wildrice pilaf

By ANNE WILLARD

A couple of years ago I decided, for a variety of reasons, to try to eat a vegetarian diet. As an inveterate meat lover, I find myself falling off the wagon for pretty much any excuse (like cooking for my family on the holidays). However, my attempt has had the side effect of fostering the creation of a few nutritious and tasty dishes that I never would have tried if I’d stuck entirely to a meat-based diet.

This dish, enriched with apples, dried cranberries and almonds, makes a lovely side dish for a holiday meal of turkey or ham. But in a sufficiently large quantity, it is also a nutritionally complete entrée for vegetarian guests because of the combination of grain and nuts. If you have guests who are vegan, cut out the butter and substitute another tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Ingredients

3/4 cups wild rice

4 ounces fresh mushrooms - any kind

1 bunch scallions chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium apple, peeled, cored and diced

1/8 cup dried cranberries

1 cup water

1/4 cup toasted almonds - see below

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Procedure

Slice the mushrooms (include the stems) and chop the scallions coarsely. Saute the diced apple for a minute or so in one teaspoon of the vegetable oil, using a deep frying pan, shallow saucepan or sauciere with a lid that fits tightly. The pieces should still be somewhat crisp when done. Take out with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to the same pan. Saute the scallions, garlic and mushrooms for about 5 minutes.

Add the wild rice and dried cranberries and stir until well coated with oil, about 30 seconds.

Add one cup of water and stir while bringing to a boil over high heat. Cover, turn to medium low and simmer for 25 minutes. Take the lid off and dump the diced apple over the top and replace the lid. Cook for 5 more minutes and check for moisture; if the water has not been completely absorbed, remove the lid and stir the mixture until it disappears.

While the rice is simmering, make the almonds. If you have purchased skinned, blanched almonds, roast them in a pan with the oil over medium heat, stirring them constantly, until golden brown. Take out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. If your almonds have skins, they can be removed easily by covering the almonds with boiling water, letting them sit 10 minutes and then draining them.

When ready to serve, cut up most of the almonds and mix them into the rice mixture. Put in a bowl and arrange the remaining whole almonds on top for display.

Yield: About 6 servings as a side dish or 2 as a main course.