BBQ’d Corn and Swiss Chard Risotto with Turkey Sausage is a great recipe that works with some leftovers and end of summer staples. It’s light and sweet and reminds me of these last summer days.
The BBQ corn is a nod to Indian summer, but the creamy hearty risotto feels like more of a fall staple. I like to keep some BBQ corn leftovers in the freezer, and the chard is still going strong these days in my garden. If you don’t have any chard on hand, feel free to substitute any fresh herbs or greens.
Risotto stands up well to almost any green and the sausage helps to add a tasty, rich finish. Risotto is one of those dishes that seems really complicated to make, but if you just keep an eye on the risotto as you add in liquid, it is actually really easy to make. You can flavour it with all sorts of ingredients, but I like mine plain and simple, topped with a little cheese at the end. Feel free to get a little creative with this recipe, you can add in almost anything (leftovers especially) and it’s almost guaranteed to taste wonderful.
serves 4
Ingredients
250g risotto
3 cups water
salt to taste
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsps olive oil
3 cobs of corn, cooked and BBQ’d
1 bunch swiss chard
3 turkey sausages
1/2 cup grated cheese (I like to use parmesan, but any strong cheese like cheddar or gruyere will work well too)
handful of parsley for garnish
Directions
Shear corn from the cob. Set aside. (I like to store any leftover corn in the freezer for this recipe. To prepare corn from scratch, boil for 7minutes. Then BBQ over high heat until lightly charred.)
Boil chard until tender and chop. Set aside.
In a large size saucepan, heat 1 tbsps olive oil.
Add rice and stir over medium heat, for about 2 minutes until rice is lightly toasted.
While rice is toasting, boil water.
Begin to add water, 1/3 cup at a time and mix until absorbed. Once absorbed, continue to add another 1/3 cup at time. Continue to add water and mix until rice is completely cooked, about 15-17 minutes or until tender and creamy. (You may need to add more water, keep some boiling water on hand just in case).
Add remaining olive oil and crushed garlic.
While rice is cooking, BBQ your sausages. I like to use turkey sausages to keep this recipe light, but feel free to use pork, chicken or beef as well. Once ready, slice sausages.
Rice should be fairly runny and creamy. Once it reaches this consistency and is tender with a little tooth, remove from heat immediately. Rice will continue to cook once removed from heat, so be careful not too overcook.
Stir in corn and chard.
Top with sausages and cheese.
Serve immediately!
RELATED: You Can Make This Unique Dish With Your Leftover Risotto
This dish makes it on my dinner table at least once a week. It’s actually part of my ‘vault' of recipes, the ones I keep near and dear to my heart because they look and taste so good, but they are just so easy and quick to make. Here’s why this recipe makes it to the vault:
1. Big, bold flavours Tasty stuff..
2. Healthy, healthy, healthy (did I say healthy? Yes it is actually tasty AND healthy).
3. Fast and easy. Fast to put together, fast to get on the table and easy to assemble. 20 minutes are you are good to go!
4. Pantry ingredients. Stuff you can have in your freezer and in your pantry, ready to go when there is nothing in the fridge.
5. Lovely enough to serve for guests. Add a side of potatoes or rice and this can be a main course at your next dinner party. I’ve served it dozens of times!
Enough said? This is a keeper. Perfect for a weeknight dinner for the family or good enough to serve for guests at your next get together. I always keep a jar of sliced olives and a jar of capers on hand in my pantry for when I might need to throw this together. So impressive your friends will think it came right out of a French cookbook. Enjoy!
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied or filleted
salt and pepper to season
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tbsps olive oil
1/2 cup white wine ( or any liquid; water, beer, chicken broth, etc.)
2 tbsp butter
2 whole cloves crushed garlic
1/2 cup chopped green olives (drained)
1/2 cup capers (drained)
a large handful of parsley, chopped
Directions
I usually wait for the boneless skinless breasts to go on sale and then stock up. I like to check the flyers weekly to keep my eyes peeled, and then buy in bulk for my freezer.
Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
Heat a non-stick skillet with olive oil until hot.
Place chicken in hot skillet. Sear on each side until browned, 3-4 minutes per side.
Once browned, add in liquid. It should steam immediately. Lower heat to low-medium and cover with a lid for an additional 2-3 minutes or until cooked through. (This will depend on the thickness of your chicken. Look for chicken that has become white and opaque. Try not to overcook, as soon as the chicken turns white in colour it is done and should be removed from heat. It will continue to cook through for a few minutes while it cools.)
Chicken should be done now. Remove and set aside.
Leave heat on low-medium. Pan should have juices and brown bits.
Add butter and garlic and stir until melted. Scrape the brown bits from the pan.
Add olives and capers.
Once heated through, remove from heat and pour over chicken. (If you really want to jazz this dish up, you can add some cream at this point too. It is not necessary and I don’t do it for a family night, but for guests it can really make this dish a little more rich).
Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
Serves 4
These days the weather is still nice enough to keep my BBQ going. On a weeknight, when there is little time for fuss, these kebobs are quick to prepare while packing a big punch of flavour. Even better, they are great the next day in a lunch salad, stuffed in a pita or served as a leftover dinner over some rice or pasta. I love to use pork tenderloin as my choice of protein as it is a really lean cut of meat, i can often find it on sale and it cooks very quickly. When I can find it on sale, I like to buy an extra piece to throw into the freezer. Here’s a great tip: you can double the marinade in this recipe and use the extra half to toss the meat and marinade into a ziplock bag and freeze it all together. On a weeknight when you are pressed for time or for a quick dish for guests, just defrost, grill and you are ready to go! These kebobs are juicy, tasty and can be on your table in less than thirty minutes. Whip up some rice on the side and you have a perfect weeknight meal. While it’s still warm enough to get that grill going, celebrate these warm fall nights and get a little bit of tropical goodness on your table. Yum!
Ingredients
For Kebabs
2 lbs pork tenderloin
1/2 of a 1L container of cored and peeled pineapple
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
For marinade
1 cup orange juice
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp both salt and pepper
Cube pork into 2 inch slices.
Cube pineapple into 2 inch slices.
Cube peppers into 2 inch slices.
Combine all marinade ingredients in a glass or plastic bow.
Add pork cubes to marinade and let mix well so marinade is well incorporated with the pork. Let sit for at least 20 minutes, up to 2 hours or longer.
Assemble shish kebobs. I like to use metal skewers, but if you are using wood, make sure to soak them in water for at least an hour beforehand so they don’t burn on your grill.
Thread pineapple, pepper, pork, pepper and pineapple to create your skewers.
Heat your grill to high.
Grill skewers until cooked through and a little charred, approximately 5-7 minutes per side depending on thickness of your meat.
Serve immediately.
RELATED: Upside-Down Pineapple Cake: A New Twist On An Old Favourite
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