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Dirty rice is a Cajun specialty that originated from using chicken livers and gizzards to make a cheap and filling meal. Nowadays, ground pork or beef is used instead, but the “holy trinity” of Cajun cuisine remains the same. The dish is easy to make and can be modified to suit individual tastes.
Cajun food, that spicy cuisine so popular in Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast, has its origins in what less affluent people ate when they were called Acadian instead of Cajun. Cajun food, like most “home” cooking, makes the most of what the cook has on hand, hence, gumbo. Leaving that delightful thought aside for a moment, let’s focus on another Cajun specialty: dirty rice.
From the very beginning, dirty rice was a good way to get the most out of killing a chicken – or buying livers and gizzards on the cheap – feeding it to a family and doing it for pennies, all cheap. price. The rice was cheap, and the chicken liver and gizzards, along with the “holy trinity” of Cajun cuisine — onion, bell pepper, and celery — prolonged the meal. Dirty rice, therefore, was often eaten as a main dish. Dirty rice gets its name from the color the liver and broth imparted to the white rice.
In these more health-conscious days, livers and gizzards aren’t used as often. Instead, small amounts of ground pork or beef are used, but the trinity and spices remain the same. Some cooks also add a little bacon fat for extra flavoring.
The meat is browned first, and then the vegetables, including fresh garlic and green onions, are browned together until the onions are clear. Everything is drained and then the rice and spices like salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, pepper sauce and paprika go into the pot. The cook adds water, brings it to a boil, adds the vegetables and meat to the saucepan, covers it, lowers the heat and waits for the rice to cook. Beef broth or any other available broth can be substituted in place of some or all of the water. When the rice has cooked, stand, covered, away from the heat for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Dirty rice can be served with a salad as a main course, depending on the amount of meat, or to accompany jambalaya or gumbo.
Dirty rice is easy to make, and a cook can modify the recipe to suit their tastes and the tastes of the family. After all, this is a Cajun tradition.
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