JT and I were sipping wine in the living room by a roaring fire, we were discussing the Christmas “Do-Over” dinner that we decided to host in January. I had just done all the shopping for the menu and then JT mentions that his family are not much stuffing lovers. THAT in itself is blasphemous, but what made it worse is that I had just done all the shopping. Did I mention that I had just done all the shopping? I had bought a lot of mushrooms. A LOT. And they weren’t cheap so they were not going to be omitted from the dinner!
So instead of making a stuffing of mushrooms and chestnuts I created a pilaff! And what a success it was; the earthy mushroom flavours with the slightly chewy texture of the wild rice and the sweet chestnuts and brown rice complimented each other so well, I decided to blog about it so I don’t forget to make it next time. This recipe is really just a combination of suggestions, so if you don’t like something, omit it and add a bit of something else. Even the volumes of everything are a suggestion, so put on your recipe developer hat and make this pilaff your own!
Another great thing is that you can make it the day before so you’re not in a panic the day that 6 people descend on you!
Wild Mushroom Rice Pilaff with Chestnuts and Cognac
Serves 8-10 as part of two other side dishes.
Ingredients:
- 500 g – 1 kg wild mushrooms (I used 1 Portobello, ~5 cremini, ~12 shitaki, ~1 large bunch oyster), chopped roughly
- 300 g (3.5 oz) roasted chestnuts, peeled and chopped roughly
- 1/4 cup pancetta, diced rather small
- 1/2 sweet onion (about 1 cup), chopped finely
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/3 cup wild rice (cooked, as per directions)
- 1/4 cup sweet brown rice (cooked, as per directions)
- 1/4 cup cognac or brandy
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 tsp thyme
Directions:
- In a very hot Dutch oven, cook pancetta until crispy, remove and drain on paper towel and set aside. You may use the pancetta grease to cook in, but it you’d rather be a touch healthier, wipe out the pan and spray with a little non-stick cooking spray.
- Cook onions until translucent. Add garlic and continue to cook until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with the cognac. Add the butter to the hot pan and once melted add the chopped mushrooms. Cook with the top off until the mushrooms are no longer chewy.
- Stir in the pancetta, chestnuts and cooked rice until well blended. Spray non-stock cooking spray in a decorative casserole dish which can be put into the oven and pour the mushrooms and rice into it. Don’t pack it down.
- If you are making this the day before, allow to cool completely and refrigerate. When you are ready to serve, remove the pilaff from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.
- Pre-heat the oven to 150°C (300°F) and reheat for 20-30 minutes. Serve hot.
Tips:
- You may ‘chop’ the mushrooms in a food processor to save time, but be careful not to chop too finely. I did not use this method because I wanted larger, identifiable mushroom pieces.
- You may also use barley, wheat berries or any other sturdy grain instead of wild rice.
- Cooking sherry may be substituted for the cognac or brandy, but I prefer cognac with mushrooms.
- I like to buy already peeled and roasted chestnuts like these, but you can roast and peel your own.
- To add another layer of texture and flavour, add 1/2 cup of chopped roasted pecans.
Those mushrooms look amazing. So does the whole dish.
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Thanks Greg, nice of you to say.
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Not stuffing lovers??? That is blasphemy I tell you!!! I’m a total stuffing glutton and we always have to make at least 2 versions for the holidays.
And you’ve got my mouth watering over each of the ingredients in this recipe my friend. Nothing but happiness for my mouth and stomach. 🙂
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I hear you Jed, but perhaps it’s because they’re not used to such a delicious stuffing as my dear Mother’s version. JTs Mom used to make one that was just croutons tossed with a few dried spices and herbs and stuffed into the cavity of the bird, rather bland and dry but it’s what they grew up with. <y Mom's stuffings were usually day old kaiser rolls soaked in milk and combined with whipped eggs and chopped onions, gizzards, livers and garlic and stuffed under the skin of the bird — so flavourful and moist. Over the years I've developed my own stuffings with sausage, mushrooms and such. I also like the idea of two versions served at the festivity table.
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Lovely winter recipe, Eva! I must say I have never added chestnuts to dishes (I had them only grilled or sweet (marrons glacés or crème de marrons: chestnut spread?) ) and this way to have them sounds very interesting and completely different.
I also tend to forget recipes if I prepare a dish and then don’t post about it soon (it actually happens quite often!).
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Hi Sissi, chestnuts are also commonly used in Hungarian desserts, much like the crème de marrons, but I doubt they use them much in savoury applications. I love the combo of the earthy mushrooms and the rather sweet tasting chestnuts, but they are also incredibly creamy.
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Great recipe, simply fancy and delicious..
the wild mushrooms made it elegant and you can’t be wrong with it!!!
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Thanks so much Dedy.
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I noticed A_Boleyn saying she wasn’t an instant convert of chestnuts… I should say that chestnuts on their own… dear God they’re horrible, but when they’re cooked into things, chopped up, ground up, blended up, whatever, even if it’s quite sizeable chunks I actually find them really good. The pilaf sounds great Eva – bet the flavour was fab, but seriously… who doesn’t like stuffing? That’s crazy talk there. Mm, I remember the pub I used to work at in England served deep-fried stuffing balls! Now that was something else right there :D.
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Interesting that you too feel that way Charles, the hungarian use chestnuts extensively in desserts; in fact we have a dessert that is just puréed chestnuts and whipped cream. I love the taste personally but then I adore mushrooms and earthy flavours. Mixing the chestnuts with the mushrooms really brings out the wonderful sweetness that chestnuts naturally have.
The deep fried stuffing sounds incredible!
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Nice use of cognac. I still have half a bottle that’s itching to be used. I like the addition of pancetta. I have a husband who thinks that a meat-free meal isn’t really a meal.
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Thank you Genie, my dear Dad and brother were of the same mentality, thankfully my husband doesn’t mind a meatless meal once in a while!
Your comment reminded me of this story, it was way back in the early 80’s, shortly after my Dad passed away my Mom and I decided to make a nice fall meal. We purchased very expensive watermelon, honeydew melon and a variety of other unseasonal fruits and made a salad of it, we even added a bit of feta for flavour. We served it for dinner and once my brother finished his portion he asked what was for dinner, thinking the salad was just the appetizer!
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Aww you would have made family day very special with this delicious pilaff 😀
Your rice looks so fluffy and wonderful!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
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Thanks a lot CCU.
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Husbands have a knack of dropping a bombshell a few moments before guests are about to arrive. I think you were amazingly accommodating. I would have just stuffed the turkey and served it to them – there are stuffings and stuffings and some are better than others! But you did well to rescue the evening with a pilaf! xx
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Thanks Charlie, it wasn’t a huge deal as I was going to just use some quinoa instead of bread for the stuffing, but to be honest, I rather enjoyed the pilaff and will likely make it again.
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Who doesn’t like stuffing? That’s just nuts 🙂
However, and it’s a big however, I would stand in line for this pilaf that’s full of wonderful bits. I do like chestnuts too.
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Thanks so much Maureen, it was a very tasty dish indeed.
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Hehe I love stuffing! Mr NQN adores it too. He even asks for it in some of his sandwiches. Although we’d both love this pilaf too! 😀
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Thank you very much Lorraine, I think it is weird that they are not huge stuffing fans! My Mom used to make a wonderful version.
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Eva, this pilaf sounds particularly delicious, and so flavoursome with the chestnuts and wild mushrooms!
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Thank you kindly Liz.
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aah chestnuts and cognac! It had to have been magnificent!
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Thank you Zsuzsa, they were indeed.
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I need to be educated in sweet brown rice Eva. The best brown rice I’ve ever eaten was at PF Changs, I wonder if this is what I had?
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We have PF Changs here too but I’ve never eaten there, I tend to stay away from the large multinational chains. Here is a link to sweet brown rice as fyi http://wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/types-of-rice
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Sweet rice is also known as glutinous rice comes in white and brown. The bran was removed from white sweet rice (think white rice and brown rice).There is also black sweet rice which is different from black rice also known as forbidden rice. The brown rice you had at PF Changs may be medium grain or short grain brown rice. Hope I helped.
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Thanks Norma
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I was going to make a mushroom risotto for dinner tonight, but I think I’m going to try this instead! It sounds delicious!!! I never would have thought to use cognac. Fabulous idea Eva!
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Thanks so much Kristy, I just love how blogs influence and inspire our everyday meals. You will be quite impressed with how wonderfully cognac works with mushrooms.
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One kilo of wild mushrooms, that sure was big bucks. I think I have roasted chestnuts in the freezer, no wild rice but have black rice and brown sweet rice so should give this recipe a try.
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The rices you mention should be lovely in a dish like this, just a touch of texture and sweetness to offset the earthiness of the shrooms. The chestnuts do add a wonderful creamy sweetness too.
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I dont cook with cognac enough, great little rice dish with lots of delicious flavors.
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Thanks so much BAM, cognac and mushrooms are a wonderful combo.
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I’m sure your pilaf was a hit with your family and that everyone enjoyed the meal.
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Thank you kindly Karen.
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I’ve grown to enjoy mushrooms more over the years as my mother didn’t cook with them while I was growing up so I think I’d enjoy this dish a lot, especially the oyster mushrooms which I’m not familiar with. I’ve only tried chestnuts once and though I wasn’t an instant convert it may be an acquired taste. 🙂
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Hi Maria, my dear Mom adored mushrooms so she incorporated them into every day cooking a lot. The oyster mushrooms are not quite as sweet as the shitaki, but close, they are a bit spongier though.
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