[Cher translates from the French or Cajun as “dear”.]
Cajuns in Louisiana are experts at making great eats with inexpensive, often overlooked foods. Consider dirty rice. They grind up chicken gizzards and brown them, then add vegetables. Rice, seasoning, and liquid go in and the mixture cooks until the rice is tender. It’s also a good way to clean out the produce bin. Half an onion? Cut it up. A jalapeño that you couldn’t add to last week’s chili because your friends are wimps? Use it. How about that sorry celery heart? Certainement! No chicken gizzards? Pas de problème, use ground meat, leftovers, or even a can of red or kidney beans.
I’ve been making dirty rice since my days as a poor lab technician in Dallas. As a new mortgagee, dirty rice still hits the spot taste- and budget-wise. I made a batch last Wednesday with some gizzards we had in the freezer. I needed to buy a bell pepper and some celery, but everything else was on hand. Dinner was ready in less than 45 minutes.
Some ground rules:
Use the food processor fitted with the steel blade to grind up the gizzards, if you use them. To save time, you can chop up the onions in the food processor after the gizzards.
Don’t overdo the celery and bell pepper. Use about twice the amount of onion as celery and bell pepper combined.
Don’t forget the garlic.
Season more than you think you need to. Use lots of Cajun seasoning. I used the “Cajun Foreplay” I bought at the Dinosaur Barbeque last fall. Also, use broth instead of water.
Use about 2 parts broth to 1 part rice. The veggies will give up a little fluid as well.
Set the table while the rice is cooking, mix up a salad or microwave some frozen green vegetable, and open up a beer. Julian’s preferred accompaniment is Dixie Blackened Voodoo, but any IPA will do as well. Put extra hot sauce on the table if you didn’t add enough oomph to the pot. Once it’s ready, sit down and break into your best Justin Wilson imitation. I gar-on-tee some good eating.
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