Cajun Wild Rice Food

CAJUN RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Cook 1 cup wild rice blend in boiling salted water until tender, about 40 minutes; drain. Brown 3 ounces each ground pork and chopped andouille sausage in 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 chopped red bell pepper, 2 chopped celery stalks and 1 tablespoon chopped thyme and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, the cooked rice and 1 bunch chopped scallions and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Season with salt.
• Per serving: Calories: 214; Total Fat: 10 grams; Saturated Fat: 2.5 grams; Protein: 9 grams; Total carbohydrates: 23 grams; Sugar: 2 grams; Fiber: 3 grams; Cholesterol: 19 milligrams;
• Sodium: 324 milligrams

CAJUN JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or similar pot, fry the bacon over medium heat. When it's crispy, remove and chop. Set aside. Brown the duck and thighs well. Add the onion, celery and green pepper and brown that, too. Let this cook a minute or three, then add the garlic. In some cases, your pot may be too crowded, so if that happens, fish out the thighs for the moment.
• As the vegetables are cooking, use the liquid they release to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Let everything cook until you get bits starting to stick again. Add a splash of stock and the tomato paste, along with the oregano and Cajun seasoning. Stir well and let this cook until it starts to stick one more time.
• Stir in the rice and andouille and let this cook for a minute or two. Add in the rest of the stock, stir well, scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot, drop the heat to low and let this cook until the rice is done, about 20 minutes.
• Stir in the chives and parsley before serving.

WILD RICE JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine wild rice and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 50-55 minutes or until rice is nearly tender. Drain. , Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the celery, peppers, onion, garlic and long grain rice in oil over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and rice begins to brown., Stir in the broth, sausage, tomatoes, wild rice, salt, pepper and remaining water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir in parsley.

CAJUN BEEF & RICE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook beef, celery, green and red peppers, and onion over medium heat until beef is no longer pink, breaking up beef into crumbles, 8-10 minutes; drain., Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until rice is tender, 12-15 minutes.

CAJUN DIRTY RICE

Steps:

• Cook the rice as usual. Move the cooked rice to a sheet pan and lay it out to cool. You need to start with cool rice. And yes, you can do this step a day ahead if you want.
• If you are using gizzards, clean them of grit and that silver membrane and either chop fine or grind in a meat grinder. A meat grinder is better, but not everyone has one. Alternately, you can use any ground meat. Either finely grind or finely chop the livers.
• Heat the duck fat over medium-high heat and, when it is hot, add the ground gizzards and the chopped livers. Toss to coat in the fat and then let them sit a bit to develop a crust on the bottom of the pan. Stir only occasionally, as you want to develop a good crust. If your Cajun seasoning isn't salty, salt the meat now.
• Pour about 1/4 cup of the broth into the pan and use it to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the onion, peppers, celery and garlic. Mix to combine and Cook for a solid 3 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
• Sprinkle over the oregano and the Cajun seasoning and let a crust form on the bottom of the pan again. When it does, add the rest of the broth and the rice and mix to combine. Scrape the bottom of the pan again. When the liquid has almost totally evaporated, mix in the green onions. You're ready when the liquid has all evaporated. Serve hot.

CAJUN WILD RICE

Steps:

• Over medium-high heat, melt the butter and olive oil together in a large saucepan. Chop the onion, green pepper and carrots and add to the heated oils with salt. Cook the veggies until they are softening but still sturdy. Chop the Andouille sausage and add to the mixture with the chicken bouillon.
• Put the unwashed wild rice in the mixture and completely combine before adding the water and stewed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and then cover for 25 minutes.
• Add chopped fresh parsley and top with a poached egg.

CAJUN RICE

Steps:

• Cook onion in oil till tender but still opaque.
• Add broth, pepper strips and seasonings.
• Bring to a rolling boil; stir in rice.
• Cover and remove from the heat.
• Let set for 5 minutes.
• Fluff with a fork.

CAJUN WILD RICE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine the wild rice, chicken broth, water, sausage, onion, mushrooms and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cream of mushroom soup. It's that easy!

WILD RICE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Place rice in a strainer or sieve and rinse with cold water for about 1 minute, scouring rice with fingers; drain.
• Place rice in a saucepan with the broth and salt; bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 40-45 minutes or until tender and most of liquid is absorbed.
• If when tender, any liquid remains, drain it.
• Cook the mushrooms, onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic in butter in a skillet until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes.
• Mix together the rice, vegetables, and cheese, and spread in a greased 2-quart casserole.
• Cover the pan and bake at 325F for 35-45 minutes or until the casserole is heated through nicely.
• Garnish with toasted almonds before serving.

SHRIMP AND RICE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cook the rice according to package directions. Let cool slightly.
• Preheat oven to 350F. In a large pan, saute the onion, bell pepper, and celery mixture in the butter for 5 minutes.
• Add the shrimp, garlic, cajun seasoning, and black pepper. Simmer for about 5 more minutes.
• Add the soups and cooked rice. Mix well. Taste test and add additional seasoning, if desired.
• Pour into casserole dish. Bake covered at 350F for 30 minutes.

CAJUN RED BEANS AND RICE

Steps:

• Place kidney beans in large pot. Add enough water to pot to cover beans by 2 inches. Bring to boil. Remove pot from heat. Cover and let beans stand 1 hour to soften. Drain. Return beans to same pot. Add 7 cups water and chicken broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until beans are tender, about 1 hour. Drain beans, reserving 2 cups of cooking liquid.
• Heat vegetable oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups onions and saute' until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add sausage, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium and saute' until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in beans, reserved 2 cups cooking liquid, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, paprika, and cayenne. Reduce heat to low; simmer until liquid thickens slightly, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine remaining 2 3/4 cups water, rice, butter, bay leaf, thyme, and remaining 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a large saucepan. Bring to simmer over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered 10 minutes.
• Spoon kidney beans into bowls. Top with rice and serve.

CLASSIC CAJUN DIRTY RICE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the chicken broth to a boil.
• Add the chicken gizzards to the broth and reduce the heat to low; simmer for 30 minutes.
• Remove the gizzards with a slotted spoon and grind or chop them very finely. Reserve the broth.
• Add the bacon drippings or oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter to a Dutch oven or flameproof casserole over medium heat. Once the oil and butter mixture is hot, add the ground pork and ground or chopped gizzards.
• Cook, stirring frequently until browned.
• Lower the heat. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne. Stir and continue cooking until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add the rice and reserved broth and then quickly bring to a boil. Heat the oven to 250 F.
• Stir, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
• Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and sauté the minced chicken livers for 3 minutes.
• Toss the minced chicken livers with the rice, taste for seasoning, and adjust with more salt and pepper as needed.
• Cover the pan and place it in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
• Fluff with a fork. Serve and enjoy.

CAJUN SHRIMP AND RICE

Steps:

• Heat the butter, olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the Cajun seasoning and shrimp and cook, stirring, until the shrimp begin to curl, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the tomatoes and scallions to the skillet and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add the rice and 1/4 cup water and continue to cook until the rice is warmed through and the shrimp are opaque, about 3 more minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve with lemon, if desired.
• Per serving: Calories 357; Fat 11 g (Saturated 3 g); Cholesterol 176 mg; Sodium 537 mg; Carbohydrate 40 g; Fiber 3 g; Protein 23 g

CAJUN SHRIMP AND RICE

Steps:

• Mix Cajun seasonings together. Add 1 ½ tablespoons to the raw shrimp in a bowl and stir to coat; set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 3.5 qt (or larger) braiser or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown on each side, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage to a plate using a slotted spoon; set aside.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil to the drippings in the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp in an even layer and cook just until opaque, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove shrimp to a plate using tongs. You can chop the tails off of the shrimp once cool enough to handle if desired.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the now empty skillet over medium-high heat. Add rice, onions and all remaining Cajun seasoning and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the bell pepper and celery and sauté 3 additional minutes (onions should be softened). Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds.
• Stir in the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and the cooked sausage.
• Bring the pot to a simmer, uncovered - the bubbles should reach to the center of the skillet (this can take up to 5 minutes, so be patient). Give everything a stir, cover, and reduce heat to LOW. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, checking and stirring at 5 minutes and replacing the lid. The rice is done when most of the liquid is evaporated and the rice is tender but slightly al dente. Add additional water or broth if the liquid has evaporated and the rice is not cooked yet.
• Once the rice is al dente, stir in the shrimp, cover, and remove from heat. Let the pot rest undisturbed for 10 minutes.
• Drizzle in lemon juice and fluff with a fork. Taste and season with additional salt or cayenne pepper to taste (I like more of both).

CAJUN WILD RICE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine the wild rice, chicken broth, water, sausage, onion, mushrooms and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cream of mushroom soup. It's that easy!