Brunch Entree: Sausage & Wild Rice Casserole

 K-State tailgating sausage casserole is ready!

This sausage and rice casserole, topped with nuts, makes an unusual but delicious brunch dish.  It can be made a day ahead and baked right before brunch or simply combine and bake the day of the get-together.  Recipe adapted from “Christmas with Southern Living, 2002”

11 AM K-State football means an early morning brunch at this tailgating party!

Sausage & Wild Rice Casserole   Yield:  13 x 9” casserole; serves 8 to 10 or more

1  6-ounce package Uncle Ben’s® long-grain and wild rice mix

1 1/2  to 2 pounds ground pork sausage

1  large onion, chopped

8  -ounce package fresh mushrooms, sliced

1  8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1/3 cup fresh parsley

3 tablespoons soy sauce (I used low-sodium)

1/2 cup sliced almonds for sprinkling on top, optional

1. Cook rice mix according to package directions.
   
2. Cook sausage in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. 
3. Add onion and mushrooms to same skillet and cook over medium heat about 7 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
4. Combine rice, water chestnuts, parsley, and soy sauce with the sausage, onions, and mushrooms; stir well. 
   
   
   
   
5. Spoon mixture into an ungreased 13 x 9” baking dish. 

   

   I made this mixture the night before and baked it Saturday morning.

6. To bake immediately: Sprinkle with almonds. Bake, uncovered at 350° for 20 minutes or until heated through. To make ahead: Cover prepared casserole and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
   

Recipe without photos . . .

Sausage & Wild Rice Casserole   Yield:  13 x 9” casserole; serves 8 to 10 or more

1  6-ounce package Uncle Ben’s® long-grain and wild rice mix

1 1/2  to 2 pounds ground pork sausage

1  large onion, chopped

8  -ounce package fresh mushrooms, sliced

1  8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1/3 cup fresh parsley

3 tablespoons soy sauce (I used low-sodium)

1/2 cup sliced almonds for sprinkling on top, optional

1. Cook rice mix according to package directions.
2. Cook sausage in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. 
3. Add onion and mushrooms to same skillet and cook over medium heat about 7 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
4. Combine rice, water chestnuts, parsley, and soy sauce with the sausage, onions, and mushrooms; stir well. 
5. Spoon mixture into an ungreased 13 x 9” baking dish. 
6. To bake immediately: Sprinkle with almonds. Bake, uncovered at 350° for 20 minutes or until heated through. To make ahead: Cover prepared casserole and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Sausage & Wild Rice Casserole -- an out of the ordinary brunch side dish!

Years ago a friend and I used recipes in a Southern Living Christmas book to prepare a holiday brunch. It was an amazing menu; one that we have continued to make for guests and to demonstrate when we've done cooking classes around Kansas. 
We're doing it again for Christmas morning brunch . . . along with Extraordinary Scrambled Eggs (recipe to follow later.)
What's nice about this recipe (in addition to tasting really good) is that it can be prepared in advance!

Sausage & Wild Rice Casserole   Yield:  13 x 9” casserole; serves 8 to 10

This sausage and rice casserole, topped with almonds, makes an unusual but delicious brunch dish. It can be made a day ahead and baked right before brunch or simply combine and bake the day of the get-together.

1 (6 oz.) package Uncle Ben’s® long-grain and wild rice mix

1 1/2 to 2 lb. ground pork sausage

1 large onion, chopped

8 (oz.) package fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 (8 oz.) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1/3 cup fresh parsley

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup sliced almonds for sprinkling on top, optional

1. Cook rice mix according to package directions.
2. Cook sausage in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Cook onion and mushrooms in same skillet over medium heat about 7 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
   
3. Combine rice, sausage, onion, and mushrooms, water chestnuts, parsley, and soy sauce; stir well. Spoon mixture into an ungreased 13 x 9” baking dish. 
4. To bake immediately: Sprinkle with almonds. Bake, uncovered at 350° for 20 minutes or until heated through. 
   
   To make ahead: Cover prepared casserole and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Note: If casserole seems a little dry, add some chicken broth.

   

   Christmas brunch at Mom's included Sausage & Wild Rice Casserole. 

Recipe without photos . . . 

Sausage & Wild Rice Casserole   Yield:  13 x 9” casserole; serves 8 to 10

This sausage and rice casserole, topped with almonds, makes an unusual but delicious brunch dish. It can be made a day ahead and baked right before brunch or simply combine and bake the day of the get-together.

1 (6 oz.) package Uncle Ben’s® long-grain and wild rice mix

1 1/2 to 2 lb. ground pork sausage

1 large onion, chopped

8 (oz.) package fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 (8 oz.) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1/3 cup fresh parsley

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup sliced almonds for sprinkling on top, optional

1. Cook rice mix according to package directions.
2. Cook sausage in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Cook onion and mushrooms in same skillet over medium heat about 7 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Combine rice, sausage, onion, and mushrooms, water chestnuts, parsley, and soy sauce; stir well. Spoon mixture into an ungreased 13 x 9” baking dish. 
4. To bake immediately: Sprinkle with almonds. Bake, uncovered at 350° for 20 minutes or until heated through. To make ahead: Cover prepared casserole and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Note: If casserole seems a little dry, add some chicken broth.

Bang Bang Chicken . . . spicy chicken like they serve at The Cheesecake Factory

     My Chef's Table column in the fall 2014 issue of Sunflower Living Magazine featured Linda Payne of Salina, Ks. and her recipe for Bang Bang Chicken. To see Larry Harwood's fabulous photos, the magazine's layout + the full story, go to Explosive Home Cooking (Linda Payne), Sunflower Living Magazine, fall 2014, pp. 24-27. 

     The recipe below is as it appears in the magazine. Some of the info that follows the recipe was included in the article; other parts were omitted due to space constraints. 

BANG BANG CHICKEN

This spicy dish is similar to the Bang Bang Chicken at The Cheesecake Factory. For those who might be put off by the addition of fish sauces in the recipe, Linda assures, “You will never know they’re in the dish, yet they add to the layers of flavor.”

PREPARATION TIME  - Approximately 15 minutes

SERVES 4

PREPARATION TIP — Everything happens really fast after the chicken is browned and the onions and peppers are sautéed, so Linda recommends gathering all ingredients and having them by the stove. She even has cans and jars open so they are ready to add to the wok or sauté pan.

Linda also adds, “Amounts are variable so adjust the ingredients to your own taste or preference.”

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup vegetable oil
1 pound chicken breast, diced
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 green bell pepper, julienned
½ onion, julienned
1 cup broccoli, florets
¼ cup water chestnuts 

1 tablespoon Thai green curry paste
1 (13.5 oz.) can coconut milk

4  tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce 

2 teaspoons chicken base
10 large basil leaves

¼ cup whole cashews 

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1.  In a wok or sauté pan heat the oil on medium high heat; add the diced chicken and lightly brown.

2.  Add garlic, bell peppers, onion, broccoli, and water chestnuts. Stir-fry 4 to 5 minutes.

3.  Dissolve 1 tablespoon Thai green curry in the coconut milk and add to pan.

4.  Add soy, oyster, fish and oyster sauces + chicken base. Extra Thai green curry can be added at this point for more heat if you desire.

5.  Simmer until chicken is completely cooked.

6.  Remove from heat and add basil leaves and cashews.

Serve with jasmine rice.

Variations: If you want to significantly increase the heat level of this dish, add 2 teaspoons sambal (very hot Vietnamese chili sauce) and some sliced jalapeno peppers in step #4. 

What about the name?  — New cadets are always enticed by Bang Bang Chicken. “In the beginning I think they select it from our menu offerings due to its unique name,” Linda speculates. Legend has it that Bang Bang Chicken was traditionally served in China by street vendors who used batons to hammer the chicken for shredding. Linda’s version has a Thai twist and simply starts with cut up chunks of chicken, no hammering involved.

Key to some of the ingredients in this dish:

All of these ingredients are available locally in most grocery stores.

·    Coconut milk is made from simmering one part shredded coconut in one part water; once stirred, it has the liquid consistency of slightly thickened cow's milk. However, don’t be confused with other coconut products including coconut water—the clear, natural juice you'll find if you crack open a coconut, or thick and rich coconut cream—made by simmering four parts shredded coconut in one part water.

·    Fish sauce is an amber-colored liquid extracted from the fish that have been fermented with sea salt.

·    Oyster sauce is made by slowly simmering oysters in water until the juices caramelize into a thick, intensely flavorful condiment. Its flavor is described as  sweet, salty and earthy.

·      Thai green curry’s base ingredients are coconut milk and fresh green chilies; a variety of other fresh and dried herbs and spices add to its sweet but somewhat pungent flavor to this paste. Thai green curry also adds a mild level of heat to any dish.

Nutritionally Speaking — Since many of the cadets participate in sports, Linda calculates and posts the calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, cholesterol and sodium in main dish servings. Here’s her breakdown for 1 serving of Bang Bang Chicken:

Calories 339 / Protein 18g / Carbohydrates 48g / Fat 7g / Cholesterol 31mg / Sodium 774mg

Rice Cookery — Linda also offers up the perfect way to cook jasmine rice, a white sticky long-grain rice with a slightly sweet taste and nutty aroma: Begin by rinsing rice under water; Linda recommends three rinses and notes, “Even then it won’t be clear; some starch will still remain making the rice sticky.” Drain rice. Add 1 cup of rice to 1 ½ cups of water or broth and a pinch of salt to a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil, uncovered; stir once, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Do not remove lid. Remove from heat and allow to set, covered, for 10 minutes. Yield: 3 cups. 

Behind the scenes; literally the back side — Larry Harwood (on the counter) and an assistant (holding lighting equipment), set up a shot of Linda Payne as she cooks at her stove.

Korean Spinach Salad -- An Oldie but Goodie

    While making a chef salad the other evening, I suddenly thought of this salad. I used to make it at least once during either the spring or summer months but it’s been awhile.

     Actually I haven’t made it since we remodeled the kitchen. The “Salads & Vegetables Cookbook” (revised edition—Favorite Recipes’ of Home Economics Teachers, 1979) used to be located in my grandparent’s old hossier cabinet but I had no idea where that cookbook was in the “new” kitchen! Determination and lots of looking and sorting finally yielded the book. However, I had to do some more searching before I finally located the actual recipe. Which makes me think . . . computer recipe files sure are nice (and yes, I keep a back-up of EVERYTHING . . . just in case + now I have all my favorites on this blog). What! You thought I was doing this for you!

Korean Spinach Salad

Dressing:

2/3 cup vegetable oil (canola)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup wine vinegar or use rice vinegar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

½ to 1 teaspoon salt

About ¼ teaspoon pepper

Salad:

1½ lb. fresh spinach (baby or small leaf preferred)

8 oz. fresh or canned bean sprouts (drain if using canned)

1 (8½ oz.) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

Onion slices, optional (red, white or yellow — slice thin)

5 slices bacon, fried crisp

2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

1.  Dressing: Combine oil, sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Whisk and chill.

2.  Salad: Tear rinsed spinach into bite-sized pieces, if needed. Combine spinach, sprouts and water chestnuts, and onions. Crumble bacon into salad.

3.  Add dressing about 15 to 20 minutes before serving (I don’t always use it all); toss. Garnish with sliced eggs.

Nutritional Analysis per serving  (1/6 of the portion size; 277g): Calories 388, Fat 26.8g (Saturated Fat 2.4g, Cholesterol 62mg), 483Sodium mg, Carbohydrate 32.4g (Fiber 2.6g, Sugars 12.5g) Protein 7.9g, Vit 217A %, Calcium 14%, Vit C 99%, Iron 24%.

Caribbean Chicken Salad

     Some meals are memorable. Barry and I both recall the picnic supper that his cousin, Patty Potter Patrick, prepared when we visited Washington D.C. in July 1984. She made an incredible Caribbean chicken salad and picked up freshly baked croissants from a Georgetown bakery. After spreading out a blanket on the grassy area near the Iwo Jima Memorial, we opened a bottle of wine (she even packed real wine glasses) and proceeded to toast the great meal and the opportunity to visit the sites in our nation’s capital and in nearby Virginia.

     Patty nestled the chicken salad in half of a seeded papaya. We could not find that tropical fruit in Abilene so we served ours alongside slices of mango. Loved the results – the fruit (raisins and mango) were a very nice complement to the curried chicken. But cantaloupe would work, too. Or, just forget the fruit and serve the chicken salad on a lettuce leaf or as a sandwich filling.

Caribbean Chicken Salad  4 servings

30 min. to prepare + allow time for chilling

2 whole chicken breasts

¾ cup fresh peas, cooked or frozen peas, defrosted

½ cup fresh jicama, peeled & diced or sliced & diced water chestnuts from the can

½ cup celery, diced

¼ cup raisins

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 heaping teaspoon curry powder

3 grinds freshly ground pepper

2 fresh papayas (skin should be golden yellow & have a slight give when squeezed), or mangos or cantaloupe

1.     Boil 1 ½” of water in large pot with a steamer insert. Add chicken breasts to steamer; cover turn heat to low and steam 25 minutes. (Or cook using your preferred method; canned chicken could also be used.)

2.     While chicken steams, combine in a medium-size bowl: peas, jicama or water chestnuts, celery and raisins. Mix well.

3.     In a measuring cup combine: mayonnaise, vinegar, curry and pepper. Mix well. Note—dressing can be made before or after chicken in done.

4.     As soon as the chicken is cool enough to touch, remove meat from bones and cut or tear into bite-size pieces (1” strips or ½” cubes). Add to pea mixture; pour dressing on top and mix well. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

5.     If using papayas—cut unpeeled fruit in half lengthwise; with a spoon, remove seeds. Fill each papaya half with curried chicken salad and serve with spoons. (You may stuff the papayas with salad before chilling but the papayas have more flavor if they are served at room temperature.

If using mango—cut in wedges and then run a spoon along the inside of the peel to remove the fruit ; serve alongside the chicken salad.

If using cantaloupe—peel and cut in wedges; serve alongside the chicken salad.