Manageability – Easy if you cheat
Wild rice is one of my favorite sides. It’s savory and juicy and buttery and if I could eat it every day instead of like drinking water and sleeping, I would. So I leapt LEAPT at the opportunity to make Broma Bakery’s Mini Wild Rice Stuffed Pumpkins. Plus, these guys are warm, and hearty, and cute… girl.
I’m not a huge fan of pumpkins, but luckily these have very little pumpkin flavoring to them. It’s all about presentation, and the mini-pumps are perfect for it. They take some time to create, so be warned that you won’t be eating for a while, but once you are ready to serve your guests will blush with envy at these adorable wild rice shooters. Or you can cheat like I did and buy some Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice. That is my jam – shaves off about 20 minutes. I also like the addition of pecans on top for a little crunch, and garnish with some parsley for color. The recipe called for a Braiser, and I don’t know what that is. So instead I used my cast iron covered in foil, and you know what? It worked fine. Delicious and adorable.
These do take a bit of time, but it’s well worth it. Like a good 401k, only you can eat these. Well I guess you can eat your 401k too if you try. Whatever, just make these.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1 cup carrots, sliced into medallions. Think of the Olympics.
- 8 oz mini portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 8 oz brussels, stems removed and sliced in half. Top-style
- 1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary
- 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme, plus a few sprigs for cooking
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, you racist
- 2 cups wild rice
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup fresh or dried cranberries
INSTRUCTIONS
- Thoroughly clean 8 baby pumpkins. Cut off the tops (save these), remove seeds and innards, and brush inside, outside, and tops with olive oil. Set aside.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, cook onion over medium heat until translucent. Add in garlic, celery, carrots, and mushrooms, cooking for 5 minutes.
- Stir in brussels, rosemary, thyme, sage, salt, and black pepper and cook for 1 minute, until you can smell the herbs. Add in wild rice, vegetable stock, pecans, and cranberries. Bring it to a boil, then turn heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the wild rice is plump and al dente (30-35 minutes).
- When cooking is complete, preheat oven to 375°F. Carefully spoon rice mixture into prepared mini pumpkins, topping with pumpkin lids, or “pumpklids”
- Place into a Braiser or cast iron, place a few sprigs of fresh thyme around the pumpkins, and cover with lid. Place in oven, cooking for roughly 45 minutes. Pumpkins are done when they are slightly soft to the touch and golden brown around the edges. Serve immediately. Or later. Whatevs.