Satisfying Italian Sausage and Bacon Rice #recipe

I got the inspiration for this recipe from my Illustrated Quick Cook cookbook by DK Canada.  The recipe in the book is a Pilaf with Chorizo, Pancetta, and Cranberries… but I’m a really big fan of using what you have in your house already and so I made a few, um, changes and it worked out really well!

So, thanks for the inspiration Quick Cook cookbook! I essentially followed the directions as well…

I had italian sausage, bacon and red pepper in my fridge, so that’s what I used in place of the chorizo, pancetta and celery.  I omitted the cranberries altogether because they really wouldn’t work with the changes I made.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. oil
• approx. 1 diced white onion
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• approx. 3/4 cups of diced red pepper
• 2 slices of bacon, chopped
• 2 or 3 italian sausages, sliced (depending on how big they are – I used 2 because mine were really big)
• 1 1/2 cups of rice
• 2 1/2 cups of warm chicken broth
• chives or green onion to finish

Method:

• Melt butter and oil and add the onion.  Cook about 5 minutes until soft.
• Add the red pepper and the garlic, cook for a few more minutes.
• Add the bacon and sausage and cook for another 5 minutes.  (Remember that everything will continue to cook when you add the chicken stock.)
• Add the rice and toast for a minute.
• Add about half the chicken broth until it comes to a boil and then add the rest.
• Season with salt and pepper
• Reduce heat to a low and simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed by the deliciousness of the meal.

Results:

Overall, a good recipe.  My husband said I could make it anytime, which means it’s a winner in our house!  I felt like it was missing some kind of herb or perhaps a little spice.  I also would do a few things differently…

What I would do differently next time:

• Cook the bacon and sausage first – I like my bacon crispy and my italian sausage to have a bit of caramelized crust on the outside.  So I would cook them first, on their own and set aside, then brown the onions, peppers and garlic.
• I would only add the pepper when I add the stock.  The peppers didn’t need to be sautéed and although they were still tasty, they were a little mushy.
• I would add a pinch of red pepper for heat.

Overall, we both really enjoyed this meal.  I love that it’s a one-pot meal and makes for great leftovers.