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Wild Rice with Heavenly Hazelnut Sauce

Used with permission from the new cookbook V Cuisine: The Art of New Vegan Cooking

Alterations should be made to fit with your dietary needs. Please consult with your medical team before you attempt to make this recipe.

Wild Rice with Heavenly Hazelnut Sauce: Serves 4–6 Wild Rice: 2 cups (500 mL) wild rice 1 red pepper, finely diced 1 green pepper, finely diced 3 green onions, finely chopped ½ cup (125 mL) parsley or cilantro, finely chopped For Heavenly Hazelnut Sauce: 2 Tbsp (30 mL) olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 green onion, finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 Tbsp (30 mL) flour 3 cups (750 mL) unsweetened soy milk 2 Tbsp (30 mL) dry sherry 1 cup (250 mL) hazelnuts, crushed salt and pepper to taste

• Wild Rice
• Boil 5 cups (1.25L) of water in a pot and then add the rice.
• Cover it, turn the heat down to low and boil/steam that way until the water is cooked off, about 20–25 minutes.
• The rice will be tender through but still have some bite to it.
• Take the red and green pepper, green onion and parsley or cilantro and add them to the rice pot when it's hot, but the rice is done cooking.
• That way they'll steam a bit on the rice, but still have some crunch.
• Keep it covered until you serve it.
• For Heavenly Hazelnut Sauce:
• Whisk constantly until the flour begins to cook, then add a little bit of the soy milk and continue to whisk it.
• Keep adding the soy milk, slowly, until the sauce has the consistency of heavy cream.
• Add the sherry if desired.
• Add the hazelnuts.
• Turn the heat to low and continue to simmer it for at least 10 minutes.
• If the sauce gets too thick, add more soy milk or a little bit of water and whisk it again.
• Keep an eye on it constantly so that it doesn’t stick (this shouldn’t be a problem if the heat is low).
• The hazelnuts will soften and the entire sauce will improve as the flavors meld.
• Remove the sauce from the heat and cool it a bit.
• Completely puree the sauce or if you want the sauce chunky (hazelnuts, onions, etc.) then you can leave it.
• I like this sauce silky smooth though, so I use an upright or hand-held blender to puree it.
• Heat the sauce up to hot again and then serve it immediately.
• When removing the rice from the pan, stir in the veggies you added.
• Season it with salt and pepper.

Wild rice is excellent. It really isn’t rice, it’s a grain, so better yet. It's pretty expensive, so most people only have it in a pilaf. Some is better than none. It's even better, though, when there's wild rice only. I love it as the star of a dish. There's something special about this long black grain that's excitingly different. Pair it with this hazelnut sauce and you'll fly into the wild blue yonder

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