The Best Rice Dish ever (And It Just Happens to Make a Wonderful Holiday Dressing, Too!)

In my Thanksgiving post, I mentioned that my parents have been celebrating the three major turkey holidays* (i.e. Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving) with the same group of friends since well before I was born.  Over the 25 years or so this tradition has been running, some recipes have been developed, perfected, and cemented in tradition.  One of those includes a brown-and-wild rice stuffing that my dad's friend developed years and years and years ago.  Many of the regulars at our holiday dinners are wheat-sensitive, so a long while ago it was decided that a rice alternative to a traditional bread stuffing would be a good move.

*My family and our friends tend to not eat a lot of red meat.  So while I realize ham or lamb are often traditional for Easter, our family definitely goes for turkey instead.  And pumpkin pie is served at all three holidays, because it's just that good!

While this dish found its origins in a turkey stuffing, it goes well and beyond just a holiday side dish.  Full of nuts and fruit, it has enough bulk and protein to be the main dish at a holiday dinner (and I've certainly used it as such, to great acclaim), and enough sweetness to make a killer breakfast food.  A chef-to-be friend of mine has developed a rice-cooker version, using slightly fewer holiday-specific spices, and she uses this recipe as a side dish all year round.

I've tried to stay true to the original spirit of the dish, while also modifying it to be fully vegan and gluten-free.  And being me, I've upped all the flavour notes just a bit.


Brown & Wild Rice Dressing Recipe
Note: I once used double this recipe for Easter dinner for 18 people, where this was the main dish.  We still had leftovers.  This recipe should in theory feed 10 people comfortably as a main dish, or a side for a meal of up to 20 people.  Of course, if you're like me, you make this much as a side dish for 7 people and then delight in a week's worth of leftovers!

½ cup wild rice*

2.5 cups brown rice**

Vegan Gluten-free Worcestershire Sauce*** (to taste, up to half a bottle)

a healthy dash of maple syrup

2 onions

3 stalks of celery  

1/2 cup fresh parsley

3++ tbsp poultry seasoning (to taste)

2++ tsp. pepper (to taste)

1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

½ -3/4 cup dried cranberries

½ cup dried apricots, chopped

*I really like the texture of full-on wild rice (the type that swells up at the root and is super tender and tasty), so I tend to buy my wild rice and brown rice separately.  However, I've also used the brown-and-wild rice mixes that are often available in grocery store bulk sections, and it works fine - the wild rice just hasa little less personality. 

**Traditionally this recipe calls for short-grain brown rice.  I find that particular kind of rice hard to find, so I often use long-grain brown, and the dish is still delicious.  It definitely changes the texture of the dressing, but I'm not really sure I have a preference either way.  I've also made this recipe with white rice before, and it works fine, but I prefer the taste and the health benefits of using brown rice instead.

***I found a vegan gluten-free Worcestershire sauce (Wizard Brand) at Dollar Groceries on Commercial Drive.  I know there are a few brands that make a vegan Worcestershire sauce (Annie's Naturals is another one).  If you can't find vegan/gluten-free Worcestershire, you can achieve a similar effect using Tamari sauce (check that it's for sure gluten-free) and adding additional maple syrup. However, if you don't have problems with trace amounts of wheat or anchovies, feel free to use real Worcestershire sauce - in which case, for this recipe, it HAS to be Lea & Perrins.

It's generally easiest to make the stuffing ahead of time, and then bake it before serving.  I generally make it the day before, just to save stress.

Make ahead:

Cook both types of rice with the appropriate amount of water (depending on whether you're using short or long grain, it will vary). The wild rice can be cooked in the same pot with the brown rice. Bring water to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer approx. 50 minutes or until water has boiled off and rice is cooked.

Add Worcestershire sauce to the rice to taste. By our family tradition, this recipe uses a LOT of Worcestershire sauce, upwards of half a bottle. I'd recommend starting with a few tablespoons and adjusting later to your taste. I also like to add a dash of maple syrup for flavour (especially if I'm using tamari sauce), but it's not necessary so don't worry if you don't have any on hand.

Meanwhile, sauté onions and celery. Mix in parsley, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Again, how much poultry seasoning you want to add is up to you. I love it (to quote my roommate, "it smells like Thanksgiving!"), so I tend to be very generous.

Add veggies to the rice and Worcestershire mixture, and mix in nuts, craisins and apricots. Taste test and add more spices, herbs, or Worcestershire sauce if needed. I love strong flavours, so I tend to add a LOT of all of the above. One rule I would give is that all the flavours (but especially the spiciness from the pepper) will mellow as the dressing bakes the next day - so at this stage of the process, err on the side of over-flavouring, not under-flavouring.

The Day of Your Meal

Dressing in action, bottom left

Bake the dressing, covered, in a low oven (I generally use about 325°F) for 1-2 hours until warmed and browned on top. (If you want it super-crispy on top, take the cover off for the last 10 minutes of cooking; but I find it crisps up nicely on its own, and keeping it covered keeps it moist).

If you happen to be a turkey eater, by all means turn this dressing into a tasty alternative to bread stuffing!

Rice Cooker Variation
I've never tried this myself, but I've heard from a friend that she throws a rice-and-grain mix, dried fruit, nuts, onions and celery into her rice cooker and lets it cook up into a tasty side-dish. She says it takes longer than it would take to just cook the rice, but it ends up delicious and there's minimal effort involved. This version doesn't involve the same spices or seasonings as my recipe, but I suspect that adding these to the mix as well would achieve a similar effect.