WHITE EARTH RECOVERY PROJECT WILD RICE DRESSING

Serves 4 to 6.

Note: Truly wild rice cooks much faster than cultivated paddy rice, notes Kurt Michael Friese in "Slow Food in the Heartland."

• 1 lb. hand-parched wild rice, washed

• 3 c. chicken stock

• 1 lb. breakfast-style sage pork sausage

• 1/4 lb. butter

• 2 portobello mushrooms, diced

• 1/2 onion, minced

• 1 tbsp. parsley, chopped

• 1 rib celery, diced

• 1 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped

• 1 pinch fresh thyme

• Salt and white pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the rice thoroughly in 3 changes of hot tap water. Put rice and stock in a large pot and bring to a boil. Boil rice in broth for 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile, brown sausage in butter until fully cooked. Add mushrooms, onion, parsley, celery, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes. Mix in the cooked rice.

Transfer to a covered casserole dish. Bake, covered, for 20 minutes, then uncover and cook to desired consistency. (The author likes the top a little crunchy.)

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories590Fat27 gSodium430 mg

Carbohydrates68 gSaturated fat13 gCalcium32 mg

Protein22 gCholesterol70 mgDietary fiber6 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 vegetable, 4 bread/starch, 1 high-fat meat, 4 fat.