Wild Rice and Chanterelle Salad with Dried Fruit, Goat Cheese and Walnuts

I’ve made this salad for Thanksgiving several years in a row. It comes from Cory Schreiber of Wildwood in Portland Oregon. The bold complex flavors of the spices and dried fruit make this salad very pleasing to the pallet. Don’t hesitate to get creative with the ingredients. I don’t think I’ve made it the same way twice. Pre-cooked wild rice is now available at Trader Joes. Using pre-cooked rice saves about an hour of cooking time and makes the dish much easier.

Serves 8

8 cups water
2 cups wild rice
2 teaspoons salt
1 bay leaf
12 sprigs thyme
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 pounds chanterelles or portabello mushrooms, sliced

Vinaigrette:
½ cup olive oil
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 cup mixed dried fruits such as cherries, cranberries, apricots and figs
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 pound stemmed arugula or watercress
8 oz fresh white goat cheese, crumbled

Wash the rice under cold water for two minutes. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil and add the salt, bay leaf and thyme. Add the washed rice to the boiling water and simmer for 40 minutes, or until tender. Drain the rice and remove the bay leaf and thyme: let cool. You should have about 7 cups of cooked rice.

In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes or until lightly browned.

To make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, shallots, fennel, cumin, thyme, and pepper and season with salt. Add the dried fruits.

In a large bowl, combine the cooled wild rice, cooked mushrooms, and walnuts. Toss with the vinaigrette and fruits.

Serve on a large platter on top of the greens and sprinkled with goat cheese.