WILD RICE

Wild rice is a grain , not a rice . I use wild rice when I want a quick elegant side dish that goes with almost everything . To make this dish... chop an onion and mix with bacon pieces . Saute these together in an oiled pan over a med/high heat until both are crisp. Drain well and set aside . Now cook / boil the wild rice , you can mix and cook the wild rice with other grains or rice. Mix the bacon and onion with the cooked wild rice or grain mix . A key feature of wild rice is it's great hot , at room temperature or cold . So the next day , you can turn your leftovers into a wild rice salad . dress with a little lemon juice and oil and add whatever you have on hand . You can go sweet by adding dried cranberries , blueberries , cherries , grapes , walnuts and a dressing of orange juice . Or you can go savoury, adding sliced white cap mushrooms ,julienned carrots and other raw vegetables and dressing with a lemon vinaigrette . If you have any leftover chicken , kangaroo, beef , lamb or pork , cut these into slivers or chunks and add to the leftover grain/ rice for an elegant main meal .