Wild Rice Stuffing

For a vegetarian variation on this, use vegetable stock instead of the poultry stock, and half a stick of butter or a quarter-cup of olive oil instead of the bacon. Add 0.5 cup of raisins and an Asian pear, peeled, seeded, and diced. Bake it in the oven for 40 minutes at 350F instead of in a bird.

• 0.67 cup wild rice
• 14 oz. chicken or turkey stock
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 medium onion
• 0.5 lb. mushrooms
• 3 stalks celery
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. sage
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Wash the rice and cover it with 3 cups of combined water and chicken stock. Bring it to a boil and simmer, covered, as low as it'll go for 50 minutes Drain off any excess liquid.

Cut the bacon into 1" pieces and cook (along with the sausage if you're using any and adding a little oil or butter if there's not enough bacon fat), adding first the chopped onion, then the celery, and finally the mushrooms for the last 5 minutes as the bacon gets done.

Mix the rice and everything else together in a large bowl, adding the beaten egg last.

You can use this to stuff a 12–16 lb. bird, as long as you haven't brined the bird, otherwise, cover your oven-safe bowl with foil and give it 40 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 350F.

If you're doing a duck or a goose, try 0.5 lb. of cooked sausage meat in place of half the breadcrumbs—it'll hold up better against the stronger flavour of the bird.