WILD RICE AND QUINOA STUFFING

Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

1 cup dried porcini mushrooms 1 1/2 cups wild rice Salt to taste 1/2 cup quinoa 500g kale or Swiss chard leaves, washed and coarsely chopped 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, more for greasing baking dish 3 or 4 shallots, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup) 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup chopped celery 500g fresh cremini or wild mushrooms, trimmed and quartered 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme 3 tbsp chopped fresh sage Black pepper, to taste 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts 1 tbsp walnut oil

Preparation:

1. Place dried porcinis in a bowl and cover with 2 litres boiling water. Let sit for 30 minutes. Line a strainer with cheesecloth, place over a bowl and drain the porcinis. Gather them up in the cheesecloth and squeeze hard to extract all the liquid. Rinse in two changes water, squeeze out excess water over the strainer, chop coarsely and set aside. 2. Transfer mushroom broth to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add wild rice and salt to taste. When liquid returns to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer 35 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, in a small dry skillet toast quinoa over medium until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. After rice has simmered for 35 minutes add toasted quinoa and continue to simmer another 12 minutes, until rice is tender and has begun to splay and the quinoa is just tender. Drain through a strainer set over a bowl and set aside. Reserve broth. 4. Return rice and quinoa to pot, cover pot with a dish towel and place lid over towel. Let sit for at least 10 minutes while you proceed with next step. (Recipe can be made through this step up to 3 days ahead.) 5. Heat a large skillet over high heat and add the greens in batches, stirring to wilt in the water left on their leaves after washing. Add a generous pinch of salt and continue to stir until all of the greens have wilted. This should only take a few minutes. Transfer to a colander and rinse with cold water to cool. Take up handfuls of the greens and squeeze hard to get rid of excess water. Chop medium-fine and set aside. You should have 1 generous cup. 6. Rinse and dry pan, and heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 3 minutes, and add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic. Cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, and add celery. Cook, stirring often, until celery begins to soften, 2 to 3 minutes, and add fresh and rehydrated mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms begin to sweat, about 3 minutes. Add white wine and cook, stirring, until wine has evaporated. Add salt to taste, thyme and sage, and continue to cook until mushrooms are tender and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add pepper, taste and adjust seasoning. 7. Stir in cooked rice and quinoa, greens, parsley, walnuts and walnut oil. Stir together for a minute or two to blend well, and remove from heat. 8. Heat oven to 180C. Oil 3 litre baking dish. Transfer the pilaf to the baking dish and spread evenly. Moisten with 1/4 to 1/2 cup preserved broth from grains, and cover with foil. Warm in the oven for 20 minutes before serving.