Even though I’ve managed to steer clear of beef for the last five months, I haven’t been able to do the same with either pork or chicken. Chicken and fish rank high on my favorites list, but I also love pork sausage – links, patties, in biscuit gravy; or any way I can get it. Italian sausage is another favorite, and I like the meat in sandwiches, on pizzas and in main dishes (breakfast and dinner).

 

This morning I made an early trip to the local grocery and picked up two pounds of sweet Italian sausage, and a few of the other ingredients needed for the dish below.

 

Savory Sausage & Rice Skillet

From: Campbell's Kitchen

 

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, cut into 1" pieces

1 cup sliced celery

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper, cut into 2" strips

1 medium red pepper, cut into 2" strips

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed OR 1 TBS chopped fresh thyme

1 cup uncooked regular brown rice

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice

2 cans (14 oz. each) chicken broth

2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

 

Cook the sausage in large nonstick skillet until browned. Add celery, onion, peppers, garlic and thyme and cook until vegetables are tender. Add the brown rice, wild rice and broth; heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for forty-five minutes, or until rice is done. Stir in parsley. Serves 6.

 

Before cutting the sausage, I froze the meat for an hour because it keeps its shape better when sliced. I also eliminated the thyme and parsley; the only “wild rice” I had in the house came in a box, so I used the seasoning packet inside instead of fresh spices. In place of the garlic cloves I added bottled minced garlic (flakes), which seemed to give the dish a more pronounced flavor and a bit of a crunch along with the wild rice.

 

It was a good meal; a stick-to-the-ribs variety that definitely satisfied my craving for sausage.