Wild Rice and Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup wild rice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• Basic Cornbread, recipe follows, or 4 cups crumbled leftover cornbread
• 3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking dish and set aside.

To cook rice, combine 2 cups chicken stock, water, and rice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, about 1 hour. Drain rice and transfer to a large bowl.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Add onion and celery and season with salt, Essence, and black pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add parsley and thyme and cook another minute. Remove from the heat and add to bowl with rice.

Add 4 cups of crumbled Basic Cornbread and pecans to the rice mixture and stir to combine. Transfer rice mixture to baking dish. Drizzle remaining 1/2 cup chicken stock and butter over mixture. Bake until cornbread is golden and crispy, about 20 minutes.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Basic Cornbread:

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, or bacon fat, plus 1/2 tablespoon, softened

1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Grease a 9-inch square baking dish with 1/2 tablespoon butter.

Combine eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons melted butter in a large mixing bowl, and whisk to combine. Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a separate large bowl, and whisk to combine. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Bake until top is golden brown and edges have pulled away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes.