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
• 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
• 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