Chicken Sausage Paella

This recipe came out delicious, but if you prefer seafood, you can very easily substitute the chicken sausage for shrimp or other types of seafood. You could also add chicken (I didn't have any) & I wanted to make a meal with what I had in the house already.

Chicken Sausage Paella

Ingredients for Broth:

1 clove Garlic-peeled & to be removed before adding to rice

1/2 teaspoon Saffron threads

4 cups Chicken or Veggie Stock

2 Tablespoons Sun dried Tomato paste

½ teaspoon Green peppercorns

1 large sprig fresh Sage (to be removed later)

½ cup dry Red Wine

3 tablespoons Penzey’s Northwood Seasoning

Ingredients for Rice:

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Basil

1 package (about 6) spicy Chicken Sausage

Nature’s Seasoning

Salt & Pepper

3-4 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 yellow Onion-diced

3-4 cloves fresh Garlic-minced

½ green Bell Pepper-cored, seeded & diced

2 cups uncooked Jasmine rice

2 teaspoons smoked Spanish Paprika

2 cups peeled whole tomatoes-roughly chopped (I used the ones I canned last summer). Then extract juice to add to broth pot.

1 cup frozen Peas

4 Celery stalks-diced

Lemon wedges (for garnish)

Directions:

In a large pot, over medium heat, bring to a boil all of the ingredients for broth. Reduce heat & allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes covered.

In either a Paella pan, or a dutch oven, over high heat, heat olive oil. Sauté onions, garlic, & basil. Add chicken sausage & cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add celery, & bell pepper & seasonings. Cook until tender. Add tomatoes, peas & rice. With a ladle, add exactly 4 & ½ cups of broth to your pot & stir briefly & gently so that all ingredients are evenly dispersed. Reduce heat to low & cover until rice is tender & all liquid is gone.

**I used exactly 4 ½ cups of broth & my rice was perfect. Remember that if your tomatoes had a lot of juice you may want to decrease the broth measurement a little. I use the following measurement for making Jasmine rice:

1 cup uncooked rice + 1 & ¼ cup liquid = perfect rice!

Pasta Fontina Rustica with Chicken Sausage

The hubby was getting "pasta" homesickness, so I knew it was time to make him what he likes best. I used a Williams-Sonoma recipe as a basic guide for this, but added a few of my own ingredients. I changed the dried herbs to fresh, and added mushrooms, and a few extra spices. I think it came out wonderfully. I used Penne, but you could also use any other ridged pasta. Enjoy!

Pasta Fontina Rustica with Chicken Sausage

*adapted from a Williams-Sonoma recipe

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. Olive oil

1 yellow Onion, chopped

2 cloves fresh Garlic, minced

3/4 lb. Chicken sausage, with casings removed (about 4 sausages)

2 tablespoons fresh Basil (I used my fresh Basil infused in olive oil which I have in the fridge for an occasion just like this)

1 tsp. fresh Oregano

1-2 sprigs fresh Rosemary

¼ cup flat leaf Parsley-chopped

1/4 tsp. Red pepper flakes

1 can (28 oz.) Tomatoes in puree, tomatoes coarsely chopped and puree reserved

Salt, & pepper to taste

1 lb. Penne pasta

1 1/4 cups Ricotta cheese

½ pound sauteed fresh Mushrooms-chopped

2 cups shredded Fontina or Mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up into bite-size pieces, until no longer pink. After 2 minutes add mushrooms & cook for 4 minutes. Stir in the basil, oregano and red pepper flakes. Add the tomatoes, puree, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt.

Preheat an oven to 350ºF. Lightly oil a baking dish.
Bring a large pot three-fourths full of water to a boil over high heat. Salt the water, add the pasta, stir well and cook until barely al dente (tender but firm to the bite), 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well.

In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the sauce, the ricotta and fontina. Spread in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Bake until the cheeses are melted and the tips of the pasta are crusty, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot.