Morels Stuffed With Wild Rice Food

MOREL MUSHROOM AND WILD RICE RISOTTO

Steps:

• Combine chicken broth and water in a large stockpot. Heat over medium-high heat until boiling; reduce heat to low and keep warm.
• Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven until butter melts. Add brown rice; cook and stir constantly until toasted, about 5 minutes. Stir in wild rice, 1/2 the morel mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until onions are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour in white wine; cook until evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Mix 1/2 the chicken broth mixture into the rice; stir to combine. Cover and cook over medium heat until thickened, about 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Pour in remaining chicken broth mixture, remaining morel mushrooms, and thyme. Cover and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring every 5 minutes, until wild rice is tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter and heavy cream. Cook until butter is melted, about 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper. Top with Pecorino Romano cheese.

WILD RICE STUFFED MORELS

Steps:

• Soak rice in water to cover for 30 minutes.
• Drain.
• Dissolve bouillon cubes in 4 1/2 cups water, add pepper and bring to a boil.
• Add rice slowly, so water doesn't stop boiling, turn down heat and simmer, covered, over low heat for 45 minutes.
• Let sit off heat 15 minutes.
• Drain off excess water.
• In a skillet heat oil and butter.
• Saute celery and onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Turn off heat and add thyme, parsley, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Prepare morels by brushing them off with a damp paper towel.
• Trim off stems and, if necessary, enlarge the opening into the cap with a paring knife. Spread half the rice mixture in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole and top with butter.
• Fill morels with as much of the rice mixture as each will hold.
• Mound rice on top of each morel, and stand upright in the casserole. Repeat with remaining morels.
• Drizzle with white wine and dust with Parmesan cheese if desired.
• Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
• Lower heat to 300 and bake until morels are resilient, but tender, about another 25 minutes.

WILD RICE WITH WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Bring broth to boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat; add porcini mushrooms and let stand until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain, reserving soaking liquid. Finely chop porcini.
• Bring medium saucepan of water to boil. Add rice, salt and bay leaves. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until rice is almost tender, about 45 minutes. Drain; discard bay leaves. (Porcini and rice can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover porcini, soaking liquid and rice separately and refrigerate.)
• Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, garlic, marjoram, thyme and porcini and sauté 5 minutes. Add crimini mushrooms; sauté until tender, about 7 minutes. Add rice and reserved porcini soaking liquid, discarding sediment in bottom. Simmer until almost all liquid absorbed but mixture is still moist, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

MORELS STUFFED WITH WILD RICE

Steps:

• Saute the bacon pieces until crisp in a medium-size skillet, then add the shallots and garlic. Stir and saute over medium heat for five minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the cooked wild rice, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Trim the bottom of the morels so they will stand upright, points upward. Stuff each one with some of the rice mixture and carefully place three stuffed mushrooms, tips pointing upward, into each of four heat-proof gratin dishes. Drizzle the mushrooms with melted butter and bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they begin to crisp and brown. Just before serving, sprinkle a bit of the fresh dill around the mushrooms to simulate the look of the forest floor.