Wild rice goes with both meat and poultry but seems most appropriate with game. In the old days we always used to serve hominy with game, but now wild rice has almost completely replaced it. The rice is good, too, with such flavorful foods as chicken livers and mushrooms and also makes an excellent stuffing for poultry. It can replace white rice in some recipes, but it is not always good to substitute wild for white rice. For instance, someone asked me once to make some wild rice croquettes and they were not too successful. At least, to me they seemed heavy. But when I made beignets or fritters, they came out light and delicate. Incidentally, if cost means anything to you, wild rice, which is expensive, goes much further when made into fritters. But however you serve wild rice, just remember to serve plenty of butter or sauce with it and avoid rather dry eating.
To Cook Wild Rice
Clean 1 cup wild rice in several waters, soaking for 15 to 20 minutes if it is very dusty. Bring 2 quarts water with 2 teaspoons salt to a boil, add the rice, and cook slowly for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the rice is soft. Drain. If not used immediately, melt 5 tablespoons butter in a pan and let it become hazelnut-brown. Add the rice and shake the pan over the fire until the grains are coated with butter and the rice is hot. Season with salt and a little freshly ground pepper.
Wild Rice and Mushrooms
Clean 6 to 8 mushrooms and slice or cut in dice. Sauté them in 1 tablespoon butter and combine with 2 cups cooked wild rice. Shake the pan over the fire until the mushrooms and rice are well combined and are heated through.
Wild Rice Stuffing for Poultry
Combine 2 to 3 cups cooked wild rice with 1/2 cup chicken livers sautéed in butler. Add 1/4 cup meat gravy or velouté to hold the mixture together.
Beignets of Wild Rice
Put 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup butter, and a little salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add, all at once, 1/2 cup flour. Return to the heat and cook, stirring briskly, until the mixture rolls away from the sides of the pan without sticking. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each one is added. To this mixture add 3/4 cup cooked wild rice mixed with a little butter. Drop by spoonfuls into hot deep fat and increase the temperature of the fat as the beignets cook. They will turn by themselves when cooked on the underside.
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