Aunt Ruth's Wild Rice
Last spring, my mom gave me two tins of recipes from her Aunt Ruth, her mother, and her grandmother. Of these three women, I only knew Great Aunt Ruth. My grandmother and great grandmother passed long before I was born.
In these tins are countless index cards with handwritten, pasted and otherwise documented recipes from the 50s – 70s. I don’t recognize many of the names and the handwriting is foreign to me, but I recognize the recipes. These are the recipes Ruth would make for us around the holidays or when we came to visit. Three Bean Salad. Johnny Marzetti. Oatmeal Cookies. Wild Rice Pilaf.
Since receiving the recipe tins, I’ve been cooking from them here and there. Trying to draw inspiration and connection to women I never met but have always known. One of the recipes I keep coming back to is Aunt Ruth’s Wild Rice. It is simple, starchy and comforting. I remember hearing stories of how special this recipe was “back in the day” from my mom. Wild rice was a luxury in the 1960s, making this recipe one reserved for holidays.
I remember visiting Aunt Ruth when I was young when she still lived in Columbus. Uncle Ron had a big berry and fruit patch in the back yard and there were Lincoln Logs in the basement. I remember her taking me to the zoo and to the park across the street from her house. She was a fashionable and smart woman.
In her later years, Aunt Ruth developed dementia and either forgot who we were or confused us with other figures in her life. These are the hard memories families don’t talk about. Difficult as it may be, I remember lives in their entirety. I can recall all the good times, what she gave me for Christmas when I was 9 and the way her house smelled (it was a good smell).
The way we choose to remember our loved ones after they have gone is a personal experience that we all share. Nobody is a stranger to loss or will be for long. As morbid as that may sound, especially around the holidays, impermanence is real. So, though I may mourn and lament, I celebrate lives lived because that’s all you can do.
The holidays always make me nostalgic and this year is no different. I often wonder what Ruth and my Grandfather would think of the world we live in now. Not the political chaos on television but rather the intimate world of our family. New babies, new spouses. Changes in careers and locations. A lot has happened in the decade that Aunt Ruth and my Grandfather have been gone.
Though Aunt Ruth has been gone for over a decade now, I will always remember her smile and warm embrace. I plan to make this wild rice for the holidays this year and I am certain everyone will remember Aunt Ruth as soon as they taste it.
Ruth’s Wild Rice
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
8 oz portobello mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Melt the butter in a large heavy pot and add the onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms. Season with salt and cook until the mushrooms are softened. About 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds.
Add the rice and cook 2-3 minutes. Add the almonds, broth, oregano, and cayenne. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour and remove from heat. Allow the rice to rest 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and serve.
