Stage 1 - Build the Herb-Infused Rice Base
Melt 1 tablespoon of vegan butter in your medium pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute until very fragrant.
Stir in the vegetable broth, wild rice, fresh thyme, and fresh rosemary. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. This initial simmer gives the wild rice which takes longer to cook than brown rice a head start that ensures both rices finish cooking at approximately the same time.
Stage 2 - Add Brown Rice and Simmer
Stir in the brown rice and bring the liquid back to a boil. Once boiling again, lower the heat, cover the pot, and let the mixture simmer for 45 minutes. The combination of wild rice's 55 minutes total and brown rice's 45 minutes produces perfectly cooked grains of both varieties simultaneously.
During this 45-minute window, run the mushroom and pecan stages in parallel the pilaf practically demands that you use this time productively.
Stage 3 - Toast the Pecans
Melt 1 tablespoon of vegan butter in your large skillet over medium heat. Add the ¾ cup of finely chopped pecans and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes until they darken slightly and become intensely fragrant. Watch them closely pecans toast quickly and the difference between perfectly toasted and burned is about 30 seconds of inattention.
Remove the toasted pecans from the skillet immediately and transfer them to a plate. They'll continue very slightly toasting from residual heat if left in the pan. Set aside until the very end.
Stage 4 - Brown and Braise the Mushrooms
This is the most important and most satisfying stage of the recipe. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegan butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced cremini mushrooms in an even, single layer. If 10 ounces won't fit in a single layer, cook in two batches this is not optional. Crowded mushrooms produce poor results.
Cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes per side without moving them this undisturbed contact with the hot pan surface is what creates the golden-brown sear that concentrates their flavor. Flip once and cook the second side for another 5 minutes.
Pour the ¼ cup of dry white wine over the browned mushrooms. The wine immediately sizzles and creates steam use your spoon to scrape any browned bits from the pan bottom into the liquid. Cook until most of the wine evaporates, about 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat, and set aside.
The finished mushrooms should be golden, slightly caramelized at the edges, and deeply savory with a subtle wine character. They should smell extraordinary.
Stage 5 - Rest and Finish the Rice
After 45 minutes, check the rice. The brown rice should be tender and the wild rice should be slightly chewy this is the correct texture; wild rice never fully softens the way white or brown rice does. If any excess liquid remains in the pot, drain it quickly through a fine mesh strainer and return the rice to the pot. Replace the lid and let the pot sit off-heat for 5 minutes this resting step allows any remaining steam to finish cooking the rice through and firms the texture slightly.
Stage 6 - Combine Everything
Remove the lid and stir in the toasted pecans, wine-braised mushrooms, thawed peas, and fresh parsley all at once. Stir gently but thoroughly to distribute everything evenly throughout the rice. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
