Something Wild About That Turkey

Of all the silly infantile jokes, this one takes the cake (or a pumpkin pie, in this case):

What did the turkey say when he saw a computer? “Google, google, google!”

I guess that was a wild turkey who had never been introduced to a Publix freezer. But then, if we believe the story about Pilgrims and Indians, and the first Thanksgiving, those turkeys did not know from Publix either. I am talking about the birds, Beautiful People, not the Pilgrims and Indians!  Since at this day and age we have to hunt for our turkeys (real or vegan) in a supermarket freezer, I decided to give it at least something wild – stuffing.

I was asked for stuffing recipes, so here is a wild one! We used to roast duck with this stuffing, and I thought a turkey would also appreciate something original. I used a mix of wild, brown, and long grain white rice, and I just cooked it all together in my handy little rice cooker, with a pinch of salt and a little Smart Balance.

While the rice was cooking, I chopped walnuts and prunes. You can probably use other dry fruit as well, but I haven’t tried, so I don’t know.

Once your rice is ready, mix it with chopped nuts and prunes, and season it with cinnamon, sumac, salt and pepper, and my secret ingredient – sweet wine. Mix it well and cook for another 5 minutes or so. If rice is not soft enough, add some water, but not much. Remember, it’ll go inside the turkey and cook in turkey juices for hours! You don’t want it mushy.

You can have it done in advance and freeze it, but make sure to defrost it before stuffing the turkey. It is delicious on its own at any time during the year, and very easy to make. But mixed with those turkey juices – your wild Thanksgiving will be more delicious than ever!

INGREDIENTS

• 6 cups cooked rice mix, wild, brown, and long grain white in equal amounts (2 cups uncooked)
• 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
• 1 cup roughly chopped pitted prunes
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sumac
• 1 tablespoon sweet red wine
• Salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURE

• Cook rice according to directions
• Add walnuts and prunes. Add wine, season to taste. Add water, if needed.
• Mix, cook for 5 more minutes.

Enjoy!