ONLINE EXTRA: Wild rice recipes

Salmon Wild Rice Cakes

4 ounces salmon

4 ounces walleye

1½ cups mayonnaise

4 eggs

1 cup cooked wild rice

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

4 green onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

4 ounces bread crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

6 tablespoons canola oil

In lightly salted water, poach the salmon and walleye, then flake. In a large bowl, use a fork to combine the flaked fish, mayonnaise, eggs, wild rice, Parmesan cheese, green onions and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste and enough bread crumbs to make the mixture solid enough to form 4-inch-wide patties. Saute patties in 3 tablespoons of canola oil over medium heat until golden brown, flipping once (up to 5 minutes each side). Change oil after half the cakes have been fried.

Yield: 8 cakes.

Popped Wild Rice

¼ cup peanut oil (another flavored oil can be substituted)

1 cup raw wild rice, hand-harvested and hand-parched

Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saute pan, heat oil until almost to its smoking point. Carefully place all rice in oil at once, and shake like popcorn to coat the kernels with oil. Stir to keep the rice moving and cook 2 to 3 minutes until rice starts to open. Once rice has opened, remove from heat. Strain out excess oil and place rice on paper towels to absorb any additional oil. Season with salt and pepper while hot. Allow to cool and store uncovered at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Yield: Serves 10 as a garnish.

Wild Rice Crusted Walleye

¼ cup oil (canola is preferred)

1 cup wild rice, hand-harvested and hand-parched

1 cup flour

Salt and pepper to taste

1 to 6 walleye fillets

3 tablespoons butter

Heat oil in a medium saute pan on medium heat (350 degrees). When the oil is hot, throw the wild rice in the oil and watch as it pops and roasts. Keep moving the rice in the pan to prevent burning. (Cultivated wild rice won’t pop; if using it, be especially careful that it doesn’t burn). Once all the rice has popped, within 2 to 3 minutes, lay the rice on paper towels to absorb some of the oil.

After the rice has cooled, put it in a coffee grinder and grind it to a fine paste or powder. Mix regular flour with salt and pepper. Add wild rice paste to flour mixture and blend.

Lightly coat each walleye fillet in the breading. Saute the walleye with clarified butter (slowly melted and the top foam removed) until golden brown.

Yield: Breading for 6 walleye fillets.

Sticky Toffee Wild Rice Cake

CAKE:

1¼ cups dried seeded dates, chopped

1¼ cups water

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup cooked wild rice

½ stick butter (4 tablespoons), softened

½ cup brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs, beaten

1 cup self-rising flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan.

Combine dates and water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add baking soda and let stand 5 minutes.

In a food processor, process cooked rice and date mixture with butter and brown sugar until pureed. Add eggs and flour. Pour mixture in prepared pan.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, turn out on to serving plate. Top slices with Wild Rice Caramel Coconut Sauce (recipe follows).

Yield: Serves 6 to 8.

Wild Rice Caramel Coconut Sauce

2 cups brown sugar, packed

½ cup butter (1 stick)

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut or snowflake coconut

½ cup cooked wild rice

¼ cup heavy cream

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine brown sugar and butter. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, until thickened. Mixture will look similar to German chocolate cake frosting. Add most of the coconut and wild rice, stirring to blend. Add heavy cream to thin out sauce consistency. Pour warm sauce over individual servings of cake. Sprinkle some of the leftover coconut shavings on top and serve.

Yield: Serves 6 to 8.

Wild Rice ‘Stalks’

1½ cups warm (105 to 115 degrees) water

1 cup cooked wild rice, room temperature

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 packages (¼-ounce each) active dry yeast

½ cup rye flour, preferably dark rye flour, or pumpernickel flour

¼ cup canola or safflower oil

1½ teaspoons fennel seeds

3½ cups bread flour, about

½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

3 tablespoons course salt

Stir together the water, cooked wild rice, sugar and 2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the top of mixture; do not stir. Let the mixture stand 5 minutes, or until the yeast proofs to a foamy consistency. Stir in the rye flour, oil and fennel seeds. Stir in the bread flour, ½ cup at a time, just until dough is stiff. Let dough rest, uncovered, 15 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Turn dough out onto a floured board; cut into 4 sections. Divide each section into 4 pieces, for a total of 16 pieces. Roll each piece of dough with your hands to make a stalk 16- to 20-inches long, or the length of your baking sheets. Transfer the stalks to two lightly oiled baking sheets; brush tops and sides with melted butter. Snip diagonally with kitchen shears into the top third of each stalk at random intervals to resemble the seed head of a grain stalk. Brush stalks with egg mixture; sprinkle with the coarse salt.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until breadsticks are golden and crisp. Remove breadsticks to racks to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 16 breadsticks

Approximate nutritional analysis per breadstick: 198 calories, 33 percent of calories from fat, 7.4 grams fat (2.2 grams saturated), 21 milligrams cholesterol, 28 grams carbohydrates, 5.4 grams protein, 1,592 milligrams sodium, 2.1 grams fiber.

Wild Rice Salad with Fennel and Mustard Dressing

3 cups water

1 cup raw wild rice

4 green onions, thinly sliced

2 carrots, chopped

1 medium bulb fennel with tops, chopped

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

Heat large saucepan of the water to a boil over high heat; add wild rice. Heat to boil; reduce heat to simmer. Cover; cook rice until tender, about 55 minutes. Drain, if necessary. Cool rice.

Mix onions, carrots and fennel in large bowl; add cooked wild rice. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper to taste in small bowl. Pour over rice mixture; toss to coat. Chill at least 1 hour; toss again before serving.

Yield: Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 242 calories, 45 percent of calories from fat, 12 grams fat (1.7 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 29 grams carbohydrates, 5.3 grams protein, 296 milligrams sodium, 4 grams fiber.

Warm Wild Rice with Dried Berries and Nuts

2½ cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup wild rice blend

1 tablespoon butter, optional

½ teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning

Freshly ground pepper

½ cup each: dried blueberries, dried cranberries, toasted slivered almonds, see note

½ red onion, diced

¼ cup freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Stir together broth, rice, butter, salt and pepper to taste in a medium saucepan; heat to a boil. Cover pan tightly; reduce heat to simmer. Cook until tender, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat; drain if necessary.

Combine berries, almonds, onion, parsley and vinegar in a large bowl. Stir in hot rice; toss to mix well. Season to taste.

Note: To toast almonds, place on baking sheet; toast in 350-degree oven until lightly brown and fragrant, 7-10 minutes.

Yield: Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 385 calories, 19 percent of calories from fat, 8.3 grams fat (0.9 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 68 grams carbohydrates, 13 grams protein, 783 milligrams sodium, 7.6 grams fiber.

Wild Rice Cakes

RICE:

¾ cup raw wild rice

1 14½-ounce can chicken broth

½ cup water

½ teaspoon salt

WHITE SAUCE:

3 tablespoons butter

1 each, finely chopped: small onion, rib celery, small carrot

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk

4 egg yolks

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 green onion, minced

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

TO FINISH:

½ cup fresh bread crumbs

¼ cup flour

2 eggs

2 tablespoons each: water, olive oil

Heat rice, broth, water and salt to a boil in a saucepan over high heat; reduce heat to simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 55 minutes; drain, if necessary. Set aside.

For sauce, melt butter in a heavy pot over medium heat; cook onion, celery and carrot until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in flour; cook, stirring constantly, until light brown, about 3 minutes. Whisk in milk; heat to boil. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens, about 15 minutes. Cover; reduce heat to simmer. Cook until mixture reduces to 2 cups, about 20 minutes; remove from heat. Whisk together ½ cup of the sauce and egg yolks in a medium bowl; stir into sauce in pot. Stir in Parmesan, green onion, parsley and the reserved cooked rice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread mixture on baking sheet; cover. Refrigerate 40 minutes.

To make cakes, place bread crumbs and flour in separate pie plates. Beat eggs with water in another pie plate. Shape rice mixture into 12 cakes. Dip cakes in flour to coat; dip in egg; dip in bread crumbs. Repeat until all cakes are coated. Heat oven to 200 degrees.

Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook rice cakes in batches until golden brown and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Keep cakes warm in oven while cooking next batch.

Yield: 12 cakes.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 190 calories, 44 percent of calories from fat, 9.3 grams fat (3.6 grams saturated), 118 milligrams cholesterol, 20 grams carbohydrates, 7.3 grams protein, 428 milligrams sodium, 1.3 grams fiber.

Glazed Chicken with Wild Rice

½ cup wild rice

1/3 cup brown rice (not instant or quick cooking brown rice)

2 cloves garlic, minced, divided

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1¼ cups orange juice, divided

2 cups water

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 tablespoons light teriyaki sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons toasted pecan pieces

Combine wild rice, brown rice, 1 clove garlic, soy sauce, 1 cup orange juice and water in a saucepan. Cover, heat to boiling, reduce heat and simmer 45 to 50 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Line a shallow baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray coating. Arrange chicken in prepared dish. Combine remaining garlic, remaining ¼ cup orange juice, teriyaki sauce and sesame oil. Drizzle about half of mixture over chicken. Bake at 400 degrees 20 minutes. Drizzle with remaining sauce and bake 5 to 10 minutes or until chicken reaches 170 degrees and is fully cooked.

Spoon cooked rice into serving dish. Top with chicken and drizzle with collected juices. Garnish with chopped green onions and pecans.

Yield: Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 348 calories (18 percent from fat), 7 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 66 milligrams cholesterol, 39 grams carbohydrates, 32 grams protein, 725 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.

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