• 1 cup wild rice, rinsed
• 2 cups chicken broth (can substitute water or vegetable broth)
• ¼ cup carrots, coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup white onion, coarsely
• ⅓ cup celery, coarsely chopped
• 4 tbsp each dried cranberries & pomegranate seeds
• 5 slices bacon
• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• salt & pepper to taste
• garlic salt (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 500º
2. Add rice and broth to a saucepan, add salt and pepper to taste, and cover tightly
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes (may vary depending on oven). At 20 minutes, stir rice, making sure that grains from the bottom have moved to the top, then cover tightly and put back in the oven to finish cooking. Turn oven off but do not open
4. Leave the rice in the oven for at least 6 hours (overnight - can do this part 2-3 days in advance)
5. Once rice is room temperature, add cream
6. Cut bacon into bite-size pieces and sauté until crisp and all the fat has been rendered
7. Remove cooked bacon and place pieces on a paper-towel lined plate
8. Poor half the rendered fat directly into the cooked wild rice
9. Use the remaining half to sauté the vegetables, adding salt and pepper to taste. Once tender, add the vegetables directly into the wild rice
10. Add dried cranberries and toss together

Options

1. You may also want to add mushrooms, which you should sauté in a separate pan
2. Cover tightly and place in 325º oven for one hour before serving, removing the cover for the last 15-20 minutes
3. Place in serving dish and add bacon bits. You can add nuts such as toasted almonds or walnuts, this is also the best time to do so