Cooking with Rena Lee

Tips: If you do not have fresh sage, use 1 teaspoon dried sage instead.

Yield:4

INGREDIENTS:

1	large onion, chopped
1	garlic clove, crushed
2	celery stalks, sliced
2	carrots, diced
2	fresh sage sprigs
1 1/4 cups	chicken stock
12 oz	skinless, boneless, chicken breasts
generous 1 1/3 cups	mixed brown and wild rice
14 oz can	chopped tomatoes
dash	Tabasco sauce
	salt and pepper
2	medium zucchini, trimmed and thinly sliced
3 1/2 oz	lean ham, diced
	fresh sage, to garnish
	salad greens, to serve
	crusty bread, to serve

DIRECTIONS:

Place the onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and sprigs of fresh sage in a large saucepan and pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover the pan, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Cut the chicken into 1 in cubes. Add the chicken to the pan containing the vegetables, cover the pan, and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes.
Stir in the rice and chopped tomatoes. Add a dash of Tabasco sauce to taste and season with the salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.
Stir in the sliced zucchini and diced ham and continue to cook, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is just tender.
Remove and discard the sprigs of sage. Garnish with a few sage leaves and serve with a salad greens and fresh crusty bread.