Recipe: Use corn on the cob, peppers and sausage for this baked rice dish

When bountiful piles of fresh corn show off in supermarkets and farmers markets, this delicious corn-and-rice-based dish returns to my repertoire. Arborio rice is key in this recipe. It is most often thought of as the starch star of risotto, the classic Northern Italian dish that slow cooks atop the stove — bubble, stir, bubble, stir. There’s a lot of tending required.

Here’s a baked-rice dish that showcases Arborio rice with Italian sausages, bell peppers, and rounds of corn on the cob.  Most of the “work” takes place inside the oven.

Baked Rice with Sausages, Peppers and Corn

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 pound spicy or sweet Italian sausage (or a mix of both)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided use

1 small onion, halved from top to bottom, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 1/4-inch-wide slices

1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio rice

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 small ears of corn, husks and silks removed, cut crosswise into 1-inch rounds

Garnish: chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pierce sausage at frequent intervals with top of a small, pointed knife. In a large, deep ovenproof skillet heat 2 tablespoons of oil on medium-high heat. Add sausages. Cook in single layer, turning occasionally with tongs, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer sausage to a plate.

2. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add onion, garlic and bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in rice; add broth and season with salt and pepper. Return sausage to pan. Bring to boil on high heat. Add corn; cover and bake until rice is tender and has absorbed all liquid, about 25 minutes. Let it rest 10 minutes before serving. Top with cilantro.

Source: Adapted from marthastewart.com

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomasCooks.com.