Wild Rice with Dried Cherries

By ruthg

The woodsy flavor of multi-textured wild rice is spiked with crunchy celery and sweet dried cherries in this easy-to-make yet novel side dish.

Ingredients

• 2 cups wild rice blend, rinsed until water runs clear and drained
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 5 inner stalks celery, cut into 1/4" pieces, plus 1/4 cup leaves, for garnish
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small red onion, cut into 1/4" pieces
• &frac13 cup chicken stock
• &frac13 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley, plus 1/4 cup leaves, for garnish
• 2 tbsp. minced thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 lemon

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from saveur.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Bring 12 cups water to a boil in a 6-qt. saucepan. Stir in rice and return to a boil; cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Strain rice in a fine-mesh sieve; let drain for 10 seconds, and then return to pan. Cover pan and let rice steam, off the heat, for 10 minutes. Transfer rice to a bowl and fluff with a fork; cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

2. Wipe saucepan clean and add butter; melt over medium-high. Add chopped celery, garlic, and onion; cook until golden, 10–12 minutes. Add stock and cherries; simmer until liquid is evaporated, 2–3 minutes. Stir in reserved rice, the chopped parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper, and transfer to a serving platter. Grate lemon zest over the top; garnish with celery and parsley leaves.