Community Corner

Queens Eats: Wild Rice and Basmati Pilaf with Sausage

Jazz up your Thanksgiving with this rice and sausage side dish.

This article was written by Erin Walsh.


Greetings, Patch readers.

As I’m sure you’re well aware, turkey day is fast approaching.

Don’t judge, but I’ve never cooked a turkey. I know, I know. This is downright sacrilegious for a home chef. I guess I’ve read too many tales of people rising at 4 a.m. to begin preparations and am somewhat daunted by the task.

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To get in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I bought a small pre-cooked turkey from Trader Joe’s, some cranberry sauce and decided to make this recipe for Wild Rice and Basmati Pilaf with Sausage as an unexpected side from the latest issue of Food Network magazine.

This dish packs the perfect balance of flavors, with wild grains, onions and sweet sausage. I couldn’t find leeks, so I used green onions instead. The dish was still delicious. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving.

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Wild Rice and Basmati Pilaf with Sausage (Source: Food Network)

Ingredients

Kosher salt
3/4 cup wild rice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 leeks (white and light green parts only), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
3/4 cup basmati rice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the wild rice and cook until just tender, about 40 minutes, drain. Set aside and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about five minutes. 

Pour off all but about three tablespoons of the drippings. Add the leeks and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are just wilted, about five minutes. Stir in the basmati rice and cook until lightly browned, one to two minutes. 

Add 1 1/3 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside, covered, five minutes.

Fluff the basmati rice with a fork, then stir in the prepared wild rice and the parsley. Season with salt and pepper.


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