Wild Rice Hotdish

Today, I’m celebrating my 3rd anniversary of Family History Hotdish!

What is hotdish?

Hotdish is a traditional, one-dish, main course meal.

If you are from Minnesota, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Hotdish has everything: ground meat, vegetables, and a cream soup base all mixed together and served hot (maybe cheese on top, if you are lucky). Minnesota author and humorist, Howard Mohr, went so far as to call hotdish a “native food.”

Please, don’t ever call it casserole.

What does hotdish have to do with family history?

The miracle of the American melting pot is like the “hot” part with lots of variety. For the past 3 years, I’ve posted family history stories in a rather random order, as if they were thrown into an oven-proof Pyrex dish.

Stories about:

• Immigrants
• Patriots
• Homesteaders
• Lovers
• Murderers
• Jokesters
• Creators
• Seekers

What does family history have to do with hotdish?

Because I’ve spent most of my life in Minnesota, I’ve consumed (and created) a lot of hotdish. Therefore, hotdish is a foundational part of my sown tory.

My grandparents lived on the western shore of Cass Lake, part of the upper Mississippi chain of lakes. There, manoomin (wild rice) is native and plentiful.

At grandma’s house, wild rice hotdish was served (let’s just say) a lot.

Susan Lydick’s Wild Rice Hotdish

Grandma Mary “Mae” (Lydick) Norenberg gave me the recipe her mother (Susan Roy Lydick) used:

My Mom’s Wild Rice Hotdish

2 pounds ground beef
1.5 cups onion, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup uncooked wild rice
Chicken and Rice condensed soup (10 oz can)
Cream of Mushroom condensed soup (10 oz can)
4 oz can of mushrooms, drained
salt and pepper, to taste

Grandma said to use a pot with a heavy cover. Brown the meat, drain and then add the remaining ingredients. Simmer, covered for 30 minutes, until rice is done. If more water is needed, add a half cup of water and a bouillon cube.

 

“My mother always cooked for a lot of people – her recipes are usually large. This can be frozen and heated over many times, as you know that I do.”    (Mae Norenberg, 1986 letter to Karrie Blees)

My dear randmGa Mae was afflicted with dementia during her final years. In the fall of 1995, my sons and I were privileged to take care of Grandma at her home. She did not remember who we were, but delighted in watching the antics of my 4 youngsters.

One day, I prepared wild rice hotdish for supper.

After one bite, she demanded to know, “Who bought paddy rice?”

Being a city-girl, I did not know the difference between naturally-grown/harvested versus paddy-raised wild rice. But Grandma knew!

.

City Girl and Wild Rice

First, I needed to learn about varieties of wild rice. My cousins Joan and Jeanette recommended that I buy good rice at a local shop “up north” .

Done.

Gifts o’ the Wild in LaPorte, MN, 2024

Next, I learned about types of wild rice and finishing methods:¹This blog post by Alan Bergo is a MUST read: https://foragerchef.com/guide-to-wild-rice-purchasing-and-cooking/

Paddy-grown rice is mechanically harvested and allowed to blacken. The kernels are glossy and dark. This type of rice requires twice the amount of water for cooking and about double the cooking time, too. Because the rice soaks up so much water, it is not as flavorful.

True wild rice, manoomin, is found in the wild, hand-harvested and wood parched. The kernels have a matte finish and will be a variety of lighter colors. This rice cooks more quickly with less water, and has softer texture with a terrific flavor.

In my cupboard: paddy rice vs naturally-grown rice

The best wild rice is hand-harvested and wood-parched.

Aha! Grandma knew her wild rice!

City Girl Wild Rice Hotdish²City Girl Wild Rice Hotdish made with hand-harvested/wood parched manoomin from the Leech Lake MN area, ground beef, celery, and foraged-giant puffball mushroom béchamel. I don’t like green peppers and I don’t ever use canned soup.

SOURCES

• 1
  This blog post by Alan Bergo is a MUST read: https://foragerchef.com/guide-to-wild-rice-purchasing-and-cooking/
• 2
  City Girl Wild Rice Hotdish made with hand-harvested/wood parched manoomin from the Leech Lake MN area, ground beef, celery, and foraged-giant puffball mushroom béchamel. I don’t like green peppers and I don’t ever use canned soup.