Wild rice and chestnut stuffing

Serves: 10

Total time: 120 minutes

Wild rice is the seed of an aquatic grass. Although much of it is now cultivated and harvested by machine, it can still be found wild along the shorelines of lakes and rivers in the American Midwest, particularly in Minnesota. There, Native Americans working from canoes still gather the rice by hand. Jumbo-grade grains are the longest and most desirable for this dressing. The rice is done when it is cooked until the ends of the grains have split with a cooking time ranging from 40 to 50 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups water
3/4 cup jumbo-grade wild rice, rinsed
3 teaspoons salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups finely chopped yellow onion
2 cups finely chopped fennel bulb
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 pound sliced whole wheat bread, 2 to 3 days old, toasted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 jar (15 oz.) steamed chestnuts
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups turkey stock
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

Preparation

In a heavy pot, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the wild rice and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cover partially, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Drain the rice and let cool. Preheat an oven to 325°F. Generously butter a large, shallow baking dish.
In a large fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, chopped fennel, poultry seasoning, thyme and fennel seeds. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
In a large bowl, combine the bread, chestnuts, the onion mixture and the wild rice. In another bowl, whisk the eggs until blended. Whisk the stock into the eggs, then stir the egg mixture into the bowl with the bread mixture. Stir in the parsley, the remaining 2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Spoon the dressing into the prepared baking dish, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake until the dressing is lightly browned on top, 20 to 30 minutes more.

Note: This dish can also be packed loosely in the body of the turkey and served as a stuffing. Tying the legs together will help hold the stuffing in the body cavity. For turkeys weighing 16 lb. or less, add 30 minutes to the total roasting time.
For turkeys weighing more than 16 lb., add 1 hour to the total roasting time.