Esker Blog

Wild Rice and Goat Cheese Dressing

Ingredients 

2 cups wild rice
6 cups water
3/4 pound Spanish-style chorizo, diced, see Cook's note*
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish
1 cup Spanish onion, diced
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 (day-old) loaf country-style bread, cubed
2 to 4 cups homemade chicken stock
12 ounces goat cheese
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the rice, water and 1 tablespoon of salt in a large saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the grains open all the way, about 1 hour, 15 minutes to 1 hour, 30 minutes. The rice should be very cooked (not even the slightest chewy). Drain well, place in a large bowl and set aside.

Heat the butter in a large high-sided saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo, onions, carrots and celery and cook until soft. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Add the onion mixture, bread, goat cheese, parsley and 2 cups of the chicken stock to the rice. Mix to combine. The mixture should be quite wet; add more stock, if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer the mixture to a large buttered baking dish and bake, uncovered, until heated through and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

*Cook's note: We recommend to order from D'Artagnan because it's not raw or totally cured and cooked...it's kind of in between.