Wild Rice with Broccolini, Dates, and Pecans

A Recipe from Lori Rice's The California Farm Table Cookbook

This past week, as the reality of just how divided and angry this country is became clearer and clearer, I found myself planning for the holidays. I’m not usually an early Christmas person—most years I complain to anyone who will listen when stores go straight from Halloween to Christmas—but on Thursday I found myself taking a break to get myself a hot chocolate and buy some silly stocking stuffers for my tween. I needed something to look forward to. I imagine I’m not the only one feeling this way.

Before we get to Christmas and Hanukkah, however (they start on the same day this year, which I always love!), we get to enjoy Thanksgiving. And while there’s a lot to say about the history and implications of this holiday if you want to get political about it, I’m planning to use it the way my family always has—as a day to remember all the the things we’re thankful for. In fact, I think this is an exercise I’m going to start right now and try to continue daily for the next couple weeks.

On the food side, Thanksgiving also offers an excellent opportunity to honor local and indigenous ingredients and to remember to be thankful for the people who grow them and bring them our tables. Lori Rice’s new book, The California Farm Table Cookbook, is a great way to learn more about food producers in CA. It also has tons of delicious recipes that would work well on the Thanksgiving table, such as this delicious combination of wild rice, broccolini, dates, and pecans. Lori agreed to share the recipe here, and I’ve added her headnote below, so you can read her thoughts about it.

If you have a favorite Thanksgiving side you think would help inspire everyone’s recipe planning, I’d love to hear about it—use the Comment link below the recipe.

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Wild Rice with Broccolini, Dates, and Pecans

“My favorite side dishes are those that have it all with grains, vegetables, and a few extras thrown in. It’s a bonus when, like this recipe, they cover the full family of flavors from earthy to savory, sweet, and nutty. My favorite part here is using dates. Much like we use a raisin or dried cranberry to add a bit of sweetness to a savory side dish, the date adds that sweetness along with a complex molasses-­like richness. Roasted pecans pair well with that complex sweetness. While the nut isn’t as strongly associated with the state as dates, there are California pecans grown in our Central Valley.”

Serves 6

2 tablespoons extra-­virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
8 ounces broccolini, chopped fine (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups cooked wild rice (from 1 cup of dry rice)
⅓ cup chopped roasted and salted pecans
4 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-­high. Add the garlic and onion. Cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to soften and take on a light golden hue.

2. Stir in the broccolini and then the rosemary, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Cook until the broccolini turns bright green and reaches your desired doneness. I like it to still have a firm crunch; this takes about 3 minutes. You can opt to cook it for 5 minutes, or even 7 minutes if you prefer it completely soft.

3. Lower the heat to low. Stir in the cooked wild rice. Then, add the pecans and dates. Stir all the ingredients and cook for about 1 more minute, until everything is heated through. Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt, or more to taste. Serve warm, but it’s also good eaten at room temperature or, I think, chilled.

Notes: You’ll need 3 cups of cooked wild rice. One cup of uncooked wild rice, cooked according to the package directions, will yield about 3 cups. I like to work with cold dates, for easier chopping. They’ll warm and slightly melt into the other ingredients when stirred into the rice.

From the Archives

Now that the weather has actually cooled off in California, I’m turning to fall- and winter-friendly recipes like this Roasted Kale, Squash, and Apple Salad I first posted a couple years ago. It’s a perfect meal when you’re feeling cozy but still want a salad.

Photos: Lori Rice, Georgia Freedman