Mandarin Rice Stuffing With Chestnuts And Shiitake Mushrooms Recipes

RICE AND LIVER STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Pick over the livers. Cut away and discard the tough connecting membranes. Cut the chicken and turkey livers into small cubes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Cut the mushrooms into quarters and slice them. There should be about six cups.
• Heat the butter in a heavy skillet and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until wilted. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until mushrooms give up their liquid. Continue cooking until the liquid evaporates.
• Heat the oil in another heavy skillet and add the livers. Cook over very high heat, stirring frequently, about one and a half minutes.
• Add the livers to the mushrooms. Stir and cook briefly. Add the wine and cook briefly over high heat until the wine evaporates. Add the rice and stir. Add the egg, stirring. Let cool.
• Stuff and roast the turkey. Heat the leftover stuffing separately in a skillet on top of the stove and serve with the carved turkey.

STICKY RICE STUFFING (A CHINESE-INSPIRED THANKSGIVING RECIPE)

Steps:

• Add rice and water to cover into a large bowl. Use your fingers to gently rinse the rice in a swirling motion, then drain the water. Add water to cover the rice with 1" (2 cm) of water. Soak at room temperature overnight. Drain thoroughly before cooking.
• Heat 1 cup of water in the microwave until hot. Add the dried shiitake mushrooms. Soak until the mushrooms turn soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Once done, squeeze the liquid out of the mushrooms into the soaking water. Slice the mushrooms thinly. Reserve the soaking water for cooking.
• Cut the rest of the ingredients while rehydrating the mushrooms.
• Heat the butter in a 4-quart dutch oven (or tight-sealing heavy pot) over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the shallot and shiitake mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions turn golden and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Add the Chinese sausage. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
• Pour in the Shaoxing wine. Use your spatula to release any brown bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine has evaporated completely.
• Add the rice. Stir to mix the rice evenly with the other ingredients. Add the chicken stock and salt. Stir to mix well.
• Add the water chestnuts. Pour in the soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Gently stir a few times to mix the soy sauce.
• Cook until the liquid comes to a low simmer. Turn to very low heat and cover the dutch oven. Steam until the rice is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover the pan and taste the rice at the 20-minute mark. If the rice still has a bit of a raw texture, let it cook for another 5 minutes.
• Once done, uncover the pan and stir with a rice paddle or spatula to fluff the rice. Garnish the stuffing with sliced green onions.
• Serve hot as a side.
• This dish can be cooked 1 to 2 days in advance. Reheat it in the same dutch oven in a 350 ℉ (176 ℃) oven with the lid on until warm. You can reheat it in the microwave, too. To heat it evenly, be sure to stir the rice several times over the course of reheating.
• It's very likely that the sticky rice will stick to the bottom of the pot once you're done cooking. This is due to the starchy texture and the added soy sauce. To clean up the pot, add 2" (5 cm) of water to the pot and boil for 5 to 10 minutes, until the sticky rice can be lifted easily with a wooden spatula. Scrape off any stuck residue and rinse the pan using detergent.

TRADITIONAL RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add water, dill weed, poultry seasoning, parsley, ground black pepper, chicken bouillon, and rice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until water is absorbed and rice is just slightly undercooked, 12 to 14 minutes. Stir, taste, and adjust seasonings if desired. Cool completely before using to stuff a chicken.

WILD RICE STUFFING WITH WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until very tender and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Transfer onions to large bowl. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in same pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and 1 tablespoon thyme; sauté until mushrooms are deep brown, about 12 minutes. Add to bowl with onions. Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring broth, 1 tablespoon thyme, and 2 teaspoons sage to boil in heavy large deep saucepan. Mix in wild rice; return to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 30 minutes. Mix in white rice; cover and simmer until all rice is tender and almost all liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes longer. Stir in caramelized onions and mushrooms, remaining 1 tablespoon thyme, and 1 teaspoon sage. Stir in pears, if desired. Cover and simmer 5 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 3/4 cup parsley.
• To bake stuffing in turkey:
• Loosely fill neck and main cavities of turkey with stuffing. Generously butter baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake stuffing in dish along side turkey until heated through, about 25 minutes. Uncover stuffing. Bake until top of stuffing is slightly crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.
• To bake all of stuffing in baking dish:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish, depending on recipe. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake until heated through, about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer.
• Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley over stuffing and serve.

STICKY RICE STUFFING WITH CHINESE SAUSAGE AND SHIITAKES

Steps:

• Rinse the rice in a colander, and then transfer to a medium bowl. Cover with 1 inch of water and let soak at room temperature overnight. Drain thoroughly.
• Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and toast, stirring, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside, reserving skillet.
• Return skillet to medium heat and add oil. When oil is hot, add the shallots and mushrooms and cook, stirring, until the shallots are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sausage and cook until the sausages curl slightly, 1 minute more. Add the sherry, bring to a boil, and cook until syrupy, about 1 minute. Add the soy sauce, chestnuts, rice, and toasted pine nuts and toss until the rice kernels are evenly coated. Stir in the broth or water and season with salt. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the rice is cooked, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Garnish rice "stuffing" with sliced scallions before serving.

MANDARIN RICE STUFFING WITH CHESTNUTS AND SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Use the tip of a sharp paring knife to cut an X on the flat side of each chestnut. Put the chestnuts in a plastic container and put in the freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the chestnuts on a jelly roll pan or baking dish, cut side up, and roast 20 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and allow chestnuts to cool until warm to the touch. Remove the shell and peel the chestnuts. Roasted chestnuts will keep in the refrigerator in a covered container for 2 to 3 days.
• Place pecans in an empty wok and stir-fry for 2 minutes over medium heat until the nuts are golden. The pecans can be roasted several days ahead.
• In a 2-quart saucepan, bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Add the rice and return to a full boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff the rice, cover, and allow it to completely cool before refrigerating. Makes about 4 cups.
• Combine the soy sauce and sesame oil in a cup. Combine the salt and pepper in a small dish.
• Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil by adding it to the sides of the pan and swirling the pan, then add the ginger and garlic using a metal spatula to stir-fry no more than 10 seconds, until the ginger and garlic are fragrant. Add the mushrooms and bell peppers and stir-fry for 30 seconds, until all the oil is absorbed. Swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil, add the rice, and stir-fry for 1 minute, breaking up the rice with the spatula. Swirl in the soy sauce mixture, sprinkle with the salt mixture, and stir-fry for 1 minute, until well combined. Add the chestnuts, pecans and cilantro, and stir-fry for 1 minute, until heated through. Stir in the scallions.

CHESTNUT, MUSHROOM AND RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• For convenience we cooked this outside the turkey in a buttered casserole at 350 F degrees for about 90 minutes. The timing isn't crucial. Or you may stuff the turkey as below.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 TB (30 ml) butter or margarine, onions, and celery and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add mushrooms and garlic, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until tender.
• Add sage, thyme, rosemary, and half each of the salt and pepper. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes or until fragrant.
• Pour in wine and chicken broth. Scrape brown bits from the pan. Simmer for 3 minutes.
• Add rice, chestnuts and parsley to skillet mixture and let cool completely.
• Toss the mixture with eggs until well combined.
• IF YOU WANT TO COOK THIS IN THE BIRD:.
• Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C). Remove giblets and neck from turkey; rinse inside and out with cold water and pat dry. Season the turkey (including the cavities) with the remaining salt and pepper.
• Stuff both cavities with the rice mixture, packing lightly. Truss the legs closed with kitchen twine. Place turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan. Rub skin with remaining butter. Roast turkey for 30 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 F (180 C).
• Roast, basting with pan juices, every 30 minutes for about 3 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 180 F (85 C) when inserted into the inner thigh.
• Rest turkey for 20 minutes; reserve pan juices to make gravy. Transfer turkey to a platter, carve and serve with stuffing on the side.

CHESTNUT RICE STUFFING

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Turn heat up to high and add ground beef. Cook until meat is browned well, stir in celery and cook 5 minutes longer. Stir in rice and turkey liver and cook 3 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients, season generously with salt and pepper.
• Your bird is ready to be stuffed!
• To prepare chestnuts: I do them in the pressure cooker. Rinse chestnuts and put them in the cooker. Add enough water to cover by a good 2 inches and throw in 2 tblsps salt (this will be drained off anyway- but gives the chestnuts better flavour). Boil for 5 minutes (after pressure starts). Turn off heat and leave on element 15 minutes longer. Drain.
• When cool enough to handle, cut off'nib' with a small, sharp knife and peel. Get the papery stuff off too. This is not so easy- some chestnuts peel easer than others, but they are so good and this is so totally worth it!
• If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can boil them in a regular pot for about 25 minutes.
• You could also use the vacuum-packed, cleaned chestnuts available, but I don't know if they'd be as tasty. I would guess that just over 1 lb of cleaned, cooked chestnuts would equal a 2 lb, uncleaned weight.