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Meaty mushrooms, hearty greens and crumbled Italian sausage fill out Rach's fried rice dish that's an ode to the flavors of Italy.
"This dish is so delish you may not want to wait for 'leftover' rice to enjoy it," Rach says. "To quick-cool rice, prepare to package directions (I always cook rice in broth or stock rather than water to add more flavor to the rice itself) and transfer immediately to a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill."
- ½ cup dried mushrooms, such as porcini
- 1 cup chicken bone broth or vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1 pound sweet fennel Italian sausage, or 12 ounces plant-based mild Italian sausage
- 3 cups cold prepared white, brown long or short-grain rice
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound crimini mushrooms, wiped clean and stemmed, thinly sliced
- ¼ pound maitake/hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, separated into thin bite-sized pieces (or shitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced)
- 2 large shallots or 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, grated or chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 cup semi-dried tomatoes OR reconstituted sundried tomatoes
- ½ cup marsala
- 4 cups chopped escarole or flat kale, stemmed, shredded into ¼-inch ribbons
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 small lemon
In a small pot, cover dried mushrooms with broth or stock and bring to boil, remove from heat, cover and let stand 15 minutes. Remove mushrooms with slotted spoon, reserving broth, and chop.
Heat a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, brown and crumble the sausage and remove from pan to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving enough oil and drippings in pan to coat. Add rice to drippings and brown and heat 3 to 4 minutes; remove to a plate or bowl.
Return pan to heat and add 1 turn of oil. When hot, melt butter into oil, and when it foams, add mushrooms and brown well. Add shallots or onions and garlic to mushrooms and season with salt, pepper, thyme and tomatoes. Add rice and sausage and reconstituted dried mushrooms, then add marsala and let it absorb. Add mushroom broth and toss with greens and cheese 1 to 2 minutes, then douse with lemon and serve.
