Wild Rice with Watercress and Hazelnuts
A hearty and elegant dish combining nutty wild rice with fresh watercress, toasted hazelnuts, and caramelized onions in a tangy maple-mustard dressing. The perfect blend of textures and flavors makes this an excellent side dish or vegetarian main.
Ingredients
- •2 cups wild rice
- •1 leaf bay leaf
- •1 to taste Kosher salt
- •⅓ cup skin-on hazelnuts
- •6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- •1 large onion
- •6 cloves garlic
- •¼ cup sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- •1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- •1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
- •1 to taste Freshly ground black pepper
- •2 cups trimmed watercress
- •1 to taste upland cress
- •1 to taste micro cress
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Cook rice and bay leaf in a large pot of boiling salted water until some grains have burst and rice is tender, 45-55 minutes. Drain thoroughly and spread out rice on a rimmed baking sheet to cool; discard bay leaf.
50 min
- 2.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until slightly darkened and fragrant, 8-10 minutes. Let cool, then rub hazelnuts in a clean kitchen towel to remove some of the skins. Gently crush nuts by pressing under the flat side of a chef's knife; set aside.
10 min
- 3.
Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-low. Cook onion and garlic, stirring often, until onion is golden, 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat.
20 min
- 4.
Whisk vinegar, maple syrup, and mustard in a large bowl until smooth. Scrape in onion mixture and cooled rice and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper. Fold in nearly all of the hazelnuts and cress, then transfer to a platter. Top with remaining hazelnuts and cress.
10 min
- 5.
Rice can be cooked 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Rice mixture (without hazelnuts and cress) can be made 3 hours ahead; store airtight at room temperature.
