This is one of those recipes you do in sequence (and in only two pots). First, take a 3-1/2 quart sauce pan, put it on the stove over medium heat, drop in the bacon pieces and sauté them until they begin to render out the drippings. Then toss in the diced onions and cook them into the bacon drippings until they soften (they don’t have to brown).

While this is going on, take a sharp knife and cut the kernels of corn off the cob. Be sure you also scrape the cobs with the blade of the knife to get the "corn milk" out of the cob stalks.

Now add the sliced-off kernels and the "milk" to the pot with the bacon and onions and stir everything together will. Then pour in the can of Rotel tomatoes (liquid and all!) and mix everything once more. At this point, cover the pot, turn the fire down to "low," and stew (fricassee means to stew) the corn with the tomatoes for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a heavy 4 quart Dutch oven, bring the 2 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Then spoon in the chicken base, stir it around until it is completely dissolved and lower the fire to medium.

At this point, cut the sausage into half-inch dice pieces and drop them into the stock. Note—you don’t want them to boil rapidly; just a slow "bubble" will do. After cooking about 30 minutes (with the lid on the pot), the sausage pieces should be very tender. Go ahead and take them out of the water with a strainer spoon and push them down into the stewing corn. Cover the pot again—fire still set at low—and continue to fricassee the kernels.

Next bring the water you used to cook the sausage back to a rolling boil. Then gently drop the broccoli florets into the pot. Now immediately turn off the fire, cover the pot and poach the florets for about 4 minutes (or until they are just tender—you still want them a little crunchy when they come out of the pot: the residual heat will finish cooking them to perfection.)

When the broccoli is done, take a slotted spoon, remove the florets from the stock and place them into a 10x14 Pyrex baking dish. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside momentarily.

Finally, in a fine-mesh colander, wash the rice to remove all the excess starch. Then, bring the same stock you used to boil the sausage and poach the broccoli back to a rolling boil and thoroughly stir in the rice.

Now, here’s the trick. Before the water comes back to a boil, you’re going to have to pour off all but about an inch covering the rice. Let me put it another way—if you can take your index finger, put it into the pot, touch the rice with the tip of your finger, and have the water level come up to the first joint of your finger…It’s perfect!

All you do is cover the pot tightly, reduce the fire to very low, and cook the rice until it absorbs all the water—which should take about 12 to 14 minutes. Actually, the rice is really absorbing the flavored stock, all the richness from the sausage, and the essence of the broccoli. I do suggest, however, that about every 4 minutes or so, you uncover the pot, take a fork, fluff up the rice, and make sure it isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Then when you’re ready to eat, dish up the hot rice, ladle over the top of it a big helping of the corn and sausage fricassee, and serve it alongside the flavored broccoli. As they say in back-a-town New Orleans, dem’s some mighty fine groceries, y’all!

In a 12- inch skillet, melt the butter over high heat until it just begins to brown. But watch this carefully! Butter has a way of browning rapidly once it starts, and if you don’t watch it closely it’ll burn before you know it. Remember, you want to make browned butter. NOT BURNED BUTTER!

When the browning starts, add the carrots and stir them until each julienned strip is fully coated with the butter. Then reduce the heat to medium and cover the pan.

At this point, you want to "sweat" the strips until the beta carotene begins to come out. This is the basis for the sauce. Once this process occurs, you can forget about burning. The carrots will caramelize (turn toasty) maybe, but no longer will the milk solids in the butter burn.

When the carrots begin to "tun limp," add the wine, the vegetable seasoning, the garlic and onion powders, and the salt and pepper. Then toss everything together once again, cover the pot, reduce the fire to low, and simmer the dish gently until the carrots turn tender-crisp (which should take about 5 minutes more).

While they can be reheated for serving later, they are at their absolute best when eater right from the skillet.