Classic Cajun Dirty Rice Food

EASY CLASSIC CAJUN DIRTY RICE WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Add the bacon grease or olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.
• When the oil is hot, add the onion, celery, and green pepper. Cook and stir for about five minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
• Add the garlic, sausage, and chicken livers. Break up the sausage and add the cumin, salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Cook until the sausage is browned, and no pink remains.
• Add the hot rice and parsley to the meat mixture and combine. Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh parsley and serve hot.

DIRTY RICE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, ground beef and chicken livers and cook, breaking the meat into small bits with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a medium heatproof bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Remove and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the Dutch oven. Add the onion, bell pepper and celery and cook down, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and bay leaves and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the rice, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and cook about 30 seconds. Stir the cooked meat back in, then add the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover. Cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid, about 18 minutes.
• Remove from the heat. Remove and discard the bay leaves, stir in the scallions and season.

DIRTY RICE WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Add onion, celery and bell pepper, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and their liquid is absorbed, 5 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, 1 minute.
• Add rice, Cajun seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Stir until well blended, then add broth, scraping bottom of pot to remove any browned bits. Bring to a boil over high heat.
• Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Scatter black-eyed peas on top in an even layer, cover and cook 3 minutes longer. Turn off heat.
• Add scallions to the pot, and fluff rice with a fork. Divide among bowls and garnish with more scallions. Serve with hot sauce.

LOUISIANA DIRTY RICE - CAJUN STYLE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring the gizzards, chicken broth, and water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the gizzards are tender, about 45 minutes. Reserving the broth, remove the gizzards, and when they are cool enough to handle, mince them and set them aside.
• In a Dutch oven or flameproof casserole, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Reserving the fat in the pan, drain the bacon on paper towels; crumble and set aside.
• In the bacon fat, saute the gizzards over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add the green and red bell peppers, the onion, scallions, carrots, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook over medium heat until vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the rice and reserved broth. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Stir once, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chicken livers and saute until firm, about 5 minutes. Let the livers cool slightly, then coarsely chop them. Toss the chicken livers and bacon with the rice. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.