creole rice pilaf w/ wild rice + pecans

Whether it goes by the name dirty rice, or rice dressing, or pilaf….this dish is friggin delicious! The classic version use things like chicken giblets, sausage, or pork to add flavor and give it the “dirty” look….of course i’m eschewing all those for something less fattening, more flavorful and sans the meat. Trust me, you’re not going to miss it here, this dish is a modern, elevated version of a classic southern (especially in louisiana) dish.

creole rice pilaf w/ wild rice + pecans

sj Whether it goes by the name dirty rice, or rice dressing, or pilaf….this dish is friggin delicious! The classic version use things like… dairy free creole rice pilaf w/ wild rice + pecans European make it paper

yield: 8-12 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 45 minutes 45 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

rating 5.0/5

( 3 voted )

ingredients:

75g | ⅓ cup wild rice, rinsed and picked through

110g | ⅓ cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped (leave out for nut free)

600g | 3 cups parboiled rice, rinsed

40g | ¼ cup celery, finely chopped

40g | ¼ cup bell pepper, fine chopped

40g | ¼ cup white or yellow onion (not sweet), finely chopped

14g | 2 Tbsp scallions, sliced

8g | 1 ½ tsp garlic, finely chopped

9g/10ml | 2 tsp oil

6g | 1 Tbsp firmly packed fresh italian parsley, finely chopped

3g | ¾ tsp firmly packed fresh sweet basil, finely chopped

10g | 1 Tbsp creole seasoning

2.5g | 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

.6g | ½ tsp dry thyme

2.5g/ml | ½ tsp liquid smoke (i prefer hickory)

15g | 2 tsp aka (red) miso (or coconut aminos if soy free)

15g | 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

 

For instant pot/electric pressure cooker:

720g/ml | 3 cups vegetable broth

480g/ml | 2 ½ cup water

 

For stovetop:

720g/ml 3 cups vegetable broth

950g/ml | 4 cups water

directions:

For Instant Pot/Electric pressure cooker:

On saute mode high, cook celery, bell pepper, onions, scallions, and garlic in oil until onions are translucent and starting to brown (5-10 minutes)

Remove from pot and set aside

Place wild rice, miso, vegetable broth, and water into pot, close the lid and set for 20 minutes High pressure, when timer is up, perform a quick release

Add in all remaining ingredients, stir and replace lid, set for 5 minutes at high pressure with an 10 minute natural release (should release on it’s own, if not, go ahead and release after 11 minutes)

Remove the lid and fluff with a fork

Serve!

 

For stovetop:

Saute over medium-high heat, the celery, bell pepper, onions, scallions, and garlic in oil until onions are translucent and starting to brown

Remove from pot and set aside

Place wild rice, miso, vegetable broth, and water into pot, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes

Add in all remaining ingredients, stir to combine, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes until rice is just shy of done

Remove from heat, stir and pour out any excess liquid, replace lid and set aside to finish cooking and absorb remaining liquid for 5-10 minutes

Fluff with a fork and serve!

This dish (as i feel most rice dishes are) is better cooked in an instant pot or other electric pressure cooker, i’m sure it could also be adapted to a rice cooker, but i don’t have one of those and i’m not familiar enough with them to offer advice on conversions. I have, however, provided you with directions for stovetop cooking [you’re welcome.]

It starts with a classic southern/creole trinity of bell pepper, onion, celery. You can use whatever bell peppers you have on hand or can find at a decent price, red/orange/yellow will provide you with more sweetness and green will be a little more zippy, so you can also choose based on your taste preference. It will be delightful whatever you choose i assure you. Toasted pecans bring in some umami and nutty flavours to mimic a little of the quality of smoked meats, aka (red) miso provides saltiness and a meaty quality reminiscent of pork when combined with the other flavors. Wild rice provides a wonderful earthiness, grounding the dish and brings a lovely chewy texture to boot. Classic southern/creole spices coupled with fresh parsley and basil give the dish a fantastic french quarter cafe flavor, it’s just amazing. If you can’t have nuts, don’t worry, this dish is totally delicious without (we make it without them quite a bit ourselves) so just leave them out and carry on!

(psst! you can make short work of chopping the vegges with your food processor if you want, they really don’t need to be consistent in size)

This rice makes an insanely good base for creole red beans, but don’t stop there….have it as a side with just about anything (the fusion of flavors makes it highly adaptable, it goes well with spanish/mexican/tex mex foods, american foods, southern foods….), eat it on it’s own, use it in burritos, and one of my favorites, use it to make some southern rice bowls! just throw some braised greens, fresh roasted corn, fried green tomatoes and some BBQ tempeh on top, maybe some smoky black eyed peas, and boom! instant. happy. [do this do it now]

To finish this off extra special, finely chop up some of your leftover bits and pieces of ingredients, peppers, onion, scallion, herbs….toss with a drizzle of oil, salt and a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle over the top! super simple, fast, easy, yum yum yum etc.