Bellisima Goddess

Bellisima Cucina–Corn Bread and Wild Rice Stuffing With Sage and White Raisins

This recipe is the third in the four-recipe series I’m posting that will lead up to a wonderful Thanksgiving Day dinner next week. It comes from my Whole Foods Diet Cookbook by Ivy Ingram Larson and Andrew Larson, M.D. (I’ll post the final recipe this weekend.) Bon apetito!

CORN BREAD AND WILD RICE STUFFING WITH SAGE AND WHITE RAISINS

1 cup uncooked gourmet blend of wild and brown rice
2-1/2 cups organic vegetable broth, divided
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
1-1/2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Unrefined sea salt, to taste
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup white raisins
2 Granny Smith apples, chopped (leave the skins on)
9 whole-grain cornbread muffins, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 cage-free organic omega-3 eggs
1/2 cup Chardonnay
2 tablespoons grass-fed organic butter, melted
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Combine rice and 2 cups vegetable broth in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil. Stir once. Cover with the lid. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 50 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand in covered pot for 10 minutes. (Alternatively, you can cook rice in a rice cooker for 50 minutes; allow rice to sit covered for 10 minutes before removing.) Set cooked rice aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Add oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high; add the shallots, onion, and garlic, and saute until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.

Add the celery, raisins, and apples to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes, until apples soften. Season again with salt.

In a large bowl, toss together the vegetables and apples with the rice and cornbread muffins. Add the pepper and sage. Season with salt.

Lightly beat the eggs; whisk in the Chardonnay, melted butter, and remaining 1/2 cup of vegetable broth. Add the liquid to the stuffing, a little at a time, until the stuffing is moist but not soggy. (If you prefer a very “wet” stuffing, you can add a little more vegetable broth.) Mix in the chopped walnuts.

Transfer the cornbread and rice stuffing to two 8 x 8-inch casserole dishes. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Allow stuffing to cool 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.