Wild Rice and Goat Cheese Stuffing

It's been months since I've taken out my camera.

Yes, the camera that I had wanted for so long and finally got for Christmas last year. That one.

Yesterday, I was cooking my favorite Thanksgiving dish for a "friendsgiving" party, when I realized how good the light was and how I should probably go take my camera off the top shelf in my closet, wipe off any dust, and snap a few pictures. I turned on some Christmas music while I cooked (too soon?), took pictures and cleaned the kitchen, and guess what?

It was glorious.

I've been incredibly busy with school and the never ending to-do list that goes along with it, but I should never be too busy to do the things that make me happy. So, here I am, blogging again. I've been cooking, but this gives me an excuse to get back into photography. It's not going to be consistent, but it's better than nothing!

Let's talk about this stuffing. Or dressing. I don't really know if there's a difference between the two but I've always called it stuffing even though the recipe online calls it dressing, so we're gonna go with that. My mom makes this every year for Thanksgiving and I'm always sad when she gives all the leftovers away, if there even is anything left to give.  It's made with wild rice, chorizo, and my one true love: goat cheese. Not to mention, it's a Bobby Flay recipe, aka my cooking idol thanks to my mom's love for him, so you know it's gotta be good.

Quick tip! This recipe could get pricey to make, but wild rice and goat cheese logs are incredibly cheap (comparatively) at Trader Joe's, so I'd recommend getting those items there!

Wild Rice and Goat Cheese Stuffing

Recipe adapted from Bobby Flay

Ingredients

2 cups wild rice

6 cups water

3/4 pound Spanish-style chorizo, diced*

5 tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup Spanish onion, diced

1/2 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

5 cups of (day-old) country-style bread, cubed 

2-4 cups chicken stock

11 ounces goat cheese (or however much comes in a log)

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

*I bought fully cured and cooked chorizo from the store, but you could also use raw, just adjust cooking time accordingly. 

Directions

1 - Combine the rice, water, and 1 tbsp of salt in a large pot and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and coverfor 1 hour, 15 minutes to 1 hour, 30 minutes, until rice is fully cooked. Drain well and place in a bowl.

2 - Preheat oven to 375 degrees

3 - Place 1 tbsp of the butter in a large saute pan and add the chorizo. Cook for a few minutes until browned (see package for more specific cooking time). Remove chorizo with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel.

4 - Add the remaining 4 tbsp of butter to the pan. Once melted, add the onion, carrots and celery, and cook until soft. Add the chorizo back in along with the garlic and thyme, and cook for one minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat.

5 - Combine the onion mixture with the rice, bread, goat cheese, parsley and 2 cups of stock. Stir, and add more stock if needed. The mixture should be quite wet. 

6 - Transfer the mixture to a large buttered baking dish* and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. It should be heated through and golden brown on top. 

*I used a 13x9 baking pan along with a smaller baking dish - this makes a lot!