Chris's Week Twelve Recipe: Shallot Wild Rice Blend

Sometimes an ingredient very clearly drives the search for a recipe. While at Penzeys this week I picked up a jar of their freeze-dried shallots just for fun. I searched their website for recipes and found this one. Here's my version:

Shallot Wild Rice Blend

1/4 c Penzeys freeze-dried shallots

2 T water

1/2 T butter

1/2 T olive oil

1 c brown basmati rice

3 T wild rice

2-1/4 c chicken broth

4 bay leaves

Rehydrate the shallots in 2 T water for 5 min. Put the butter & olive oil in a saucepan and heat. Add the shallots and saute until lightly browned. Add the rice, wild rice, broth & bay leaves. Bring to a roiling boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 25 min or until the broth is absorbed and the rice is tender. Fluff the rice, cover again, and let stand for and additional 5 min.

Salt and pepper to taste. This is excellent with some grated parmesan.

Would I make this recipe again? Yes! It makes me think of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice Mix, which I love. The next time I make it I think I'll add more wild rice and perhaps some of Penzeys Tuscan Sunset blend to give it a little more zip.