Spicy Sausage and Rice Medley
By Julie Cader
Pleasant seasonings and spicy Italian sausage highlight the traditional barbecue chicken and rice pairing, just in time for your Memorial Day picnic. Add the fixins’ and you are good to go!
In this recipe, a gourmet blend of four uniquely aromatic California rice varieties, CalMati Brown Rice, Wild Rice, Sweet Brown Rice and Heirloom Red Rice from SunWest, gives this dish a rich, nutty flavor while adding spice and colors that pop!
Ingredients
1 cup SunWest California Harvest Medley rice
2 bay leaves
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 ½ cups chicken broth
16 oz. Hot Italian sausage
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage
Cooking Instructions
In a medium stovetop pan, combine rice, olive oil, bay leaves and broth. Stir, bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Let rice simmer for 30 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Remove pan from heat, and let rice set for a few minutes. Remove bay leaves.
In a heavy skillet, cook crumbled sausage, stirring, until browned and cooked through. Remove the sausage, add vegetables and seasonings to the pan. Sauté vegetables in sausage drippings until tender.
Fluff rice mixture with a fork and gently stir in vegetables mixture. Keep medley warm until ready to serve.
Julie is Finance & Administration Manager for the California Rice Commission, and a big proponent of trying new recipes- especially if they feature California rice.