Wild Rice With Corn Dish Adds To Holiday Feast

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite American holidays because, more than any other, it is identified with food.

Everyone expects the meal that we sit down to on the fourth Thursday of November will be a feast. Dark, succulent roasted turkey and rich dressing are mainstays at my own table, along with an array of side dishes, condiments and several desserts.

More often than not, the side dishes are the ones I change from year to year. Green beans with roasted onions, butternut squash baked with apples, and wild rice with red and green grapes are some of my inventions for seasons past.

For the last few weeks, I have been working on another dish for this special holiday. I cooked wild and white rice with fresh corn, diced carrots, leeks and bits of light kielbasa sausage. The colorful mixture was simmered in chicken stock and seasoned with thyme, cayenne and a hint of orange zest.

This rice can be prepared ahead and reheated when needed. It can be transported readily from one kitchen to another if you are spending Thanksgiving away from home. And the recipe can be doubled or tripled easily to suit the size of your group.

Wild Rice with Corn, Leeks and Sausage

1-1/4 cups wild rice

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 ounces light kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1-1/4 cups chopped leeks, white parts only

3/4 cup carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears) or 1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn, defrosted and drained

1 cup long-grain white rice (preferably converted)

4 teaspoons dried thyme

Generous 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4-1/2 cups chicken stock, plus more if needed

4 teaspoons grated orange zest (colored portion of peel)

Salt to taste

Cook wild rice in boiling, lightly salted water to cover for 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain and reserve.

Heat butter in large, deep-sided pan over medium heat until hot. Add kielbasa, leeks, carrots and corn and cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes. Add wild and white rices, thyme, cayenne and stock and bring mixture to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until all liquid has been absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes. Taste rice and if not quite tender enough, add cup 1/2 extra stock and cook, covered, about 5 minutes more until liquid is absorbed.

Remove from heat. Stir in orange zest and salt to taste. (Rice can be prepared 1 day ahead. Reheat, covered, in 350-degree preheated oven until hot, 15 to 20 minutes.)

To serve, arrange in serving bowl or shallow dish. Serve hot.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.