Harvest Rice

Old St. John's, Rutherfordton, December 2004
brought by John Plunkett, recipe from his niece

"I more or less followed the way my niece had made it."

Her comments: Here is the recipe for the "Harvest Rice Dish" -- but I realized when I reread it that I did some things differently. Instead of baking the almonds and all, I just bought one of those bags of toasted almonds (usually they have them in the produce section - people put them on top of salads, etc) and broke them up a little. Instead of chicken broth, I used vegetable broth (I haven't been eating meat). Instead of dried cranberries, I used orange-flavored Craisins (and I think I was pretty generous with them!). After I cooked the onions, I just stirred the Craisins in pretty well and let it sit for a little bit. I didn't put any mushrooms in it. I used some orange extract instead of the "zest". So basically, I took the recipe and did all kinds of short cuts because this was my first experience actually cooking something other than desserts! This recipe said it served 6, so I doubled it for Thanksgiving.

And here's the recipe she started with:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
• 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 onions, sliced into 1/2 inch wedges
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 2/3 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

• Place almonds on an ungreased baking sheet. Toast at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 5 to 8 minutes.
• Mix broth, brown rice, and wild rice in a medium saucepan, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 45 minutes, until rice is tender and broth is absorbed.
• In medium skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and brown sugar. Saute until butter is absorbed and onions are translucent and soft. Reduce heat, and cook onions for another 20 minutes, until they are caramelized.
• Stir cranberries and mushrooms into the skillet. Cover, and cook 10 minutes or until berries start to swell. Stir in almonds and orange zest, then fold the mixture into the cooked rice. Salt and pepper to taste.

Double for a Singing