Wild Rice, Sausage & Squash Stew

Wild Rice, Sausage & Squash Stew

If you're in the mood for one heck of a cozy stew, then look no further! This wild rice, sausage and squash stew is packed with autumn veggies and I was so happy to use all local ingredients to make this meal possible. We have some lovely Oregon harvested wild rice that we picked up from our local grocery store (Treebird Market) sausage and fresh raw milk from our friends over at Stamboom Meats, and then of course all the veggies came from our farm. It's meals like this that remind me to be incredibly grateful to live where we live and work in community with so many other local farmers and producers. I always think food tastes better when we know a little bit more about where it comes from and all the hard work and care that went into brining it to our dinner table. This stew was one of those meals that just got better and better each day that we reheated it for leftovers. Don't get me wrong, it was absolutely delicious on night one, but with a little time it just got tastier. We served our soup with some crusty sourdough bread from a new bakery (Bran & Ash) and some local white wine. It really was a harvest meal and I'm so happy with how well it turned out. I hope you all enjoy this hearty, nourishing, and tasty stew as much as we do. Cheers to the autumn harvest!

Wild Rice, Sausage & Squash Stew

Prep Time: overnight
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 cup wild rice (soaked for at least 7 hours if not overnight)
  • 1 pound ground spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • hefty pinch of salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 6 cups chicken, pork, or veggie broth
  • 2 pounds (about 3 cups) butternut squash, peeled and cut into small chunks (or any winter squash)
  • 1 bunch of kale, tough stems removed and torn into bite size pieces
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes for serving

Preparation

  1. Drain and rinse the soaked rice and set it aside.
  2. Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat a bit, until lightly browned and cooked through. About 5-7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl until later.
  3. Add the chopped onion to the pan drippings (if the pan seems dry add a touch of butter or oil) and sauté the onion until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, thyme, pepper flakes and plenty of salt and pepper. Cook for about 1 minute longer. Add the wine and bring to a boil, reduce the heat until most of the liquid evaporates. Add reserved rice along with the stock and butternut squash. Bring the mixture back up to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer  for about 35-40 minutes or until the rice if fully cooked. Add the torn kale and reserved sausage, continue to cook until the kale wilts down and turns bright green. Pour in the heavy cream and heat through. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed. I added more salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

Notes

*Use this recipe as a guide and adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary *Soaking the rice overnight makes it easier to digest

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