I had the opportunity to live in the gorgeous Minnesota/Wisconsin area for a short time- during which I was first exposed to, and came  to develop a love for wild rice.  The crunchy-nutty flavor of wild rice is absoletly fabulous and this wild rice stuffing is a delicious way to serve it.

Although my family still prefers traditional Bread and Butter Stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner, this dish is a perfect fall side-dish for almost anything.  The combination of dried apricots, cranberries and toasted pecans along with the wild rice is so good and as you can see, the color and texture is beautiful.

Wild Rice Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup uncooked wild rice
2 garlic cloves minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 cup uncooked long-grain brown rice
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the celery, onions, wild rice and garlic; saute 3 minutes.

Stir in chicken broth, sage, and oregano.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes.

Stir in brown rice and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and cook for 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 10 minutes.  Stir in apricots, cranberries, and pecans.  Season with salt and pepper.

Makes about 12 (1/2 cup) servings.