SMOKED SAUSAGE AND RED RICE SKILLET
Yield: Serves about 4
Ingredients:
- Canola oil
- 1 (12 ounce) package smoked beef sausage (or your favorite variety), sliced
- 1 white onion, quartered and sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 3 ounces (about half a tin) tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 4 cups cooked rice
- 1 teapsoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 1 tablepoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preparation:
- Place a large cast-iron skillet (or heavy bottom braising/Dutch oven-style pan) over medium-high to high heat; once the skillet/pan becomes hot, drizzle in about 1 tablespoon of oil, and once that shimmers, add in the sliced sausage, and leave it undisturbed for a couple of moments, in order for it to sear up on that first side; then, stir the sausage so that it can brown on the other sides for a few moments, and with a slotted spoon remove from pan and set aside.
- Add into the skillet/pan the sliced onion, along with the sliced red and yellow bell peppers, and allow those to char and become golden, for about 3-4 minutes; then, add in the garlic and a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, and stir to incorporate.
- Once the garlic becomes aromatic, remove everything from the pan, and set it aside with the sausage.
- Reduce the heat to low, and drizzle in a little more oil (about a tablespoon or so); add in the tomato paste and about ½ cup of the stock and stir or whisk to blend, allowing it to cook for about 15-30 seconds just to cook out the raw flavor and soften it a little bit.
- Add in the rice and sprinkle over the paprika, and stir so that it gets well-coated in the tomato paste/stock.
- Add back into the skillet the sausage and the charred onions and peppers, plus the rest of the stock, and stir to combine everything well.
- Finish by stirring in the chopped cilantro and parsley, and then check to see if any additional salt and pepper is needed (you can even add some red pepper flakes if you like it spicy), and serve.