Cajun Rice (Dirty Rice)

My all time favorite Cajun dish is Dirty Rice (aka) Cajun Rice, a tradition Cajun dish made from white rice cooked with ground beef.  I love the idea of adding cooked chicken liver pieces to the rice to give it that rich brown color, its completely optional of course and can be substituted with soy sauce, to get same effect.

Dirty rice is most common in the Cajun regions of southern Louisiana and Mississippi; however, it can also be found in other areas of the American South. In some southern regions, it is also called rice dressing. It is often served as a side dish with salmon.

But in my case, forget about adding anything other than buttermilk biscuits to the side of this dish, because it’s a meal on its own.

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground beef

1/2 pound chicken livers

3 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)  

3 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

2 cups long-grain rice (cooked)

Directions:

1. In a small skillet; brown beef, making sure it’s not lumpy. After beef is browned, drain and remove from pot and set aside
2. In same skillet add 3 tablespoon of butter and chicken liver, let cook on both side for 5 minutes total, then remove from heat and grind or mince with a masher or slotted spoon. (Remove any lumps that’s wasn’t mashed or minced)
3. Return cooked beef to pot & mix in with chicken liver, add salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper and Cajun seasoning, cover and let cook for 8 minutes, stirring constantly to incorporate the seasoning with the meat.
4. Lower heat and chopped onion, green onion, peppers and celery, stir and cover and let cook for a few minutes just enough for them to be tender.

Now its time to add the cooked rice

5. Add half the cooked rice & stir, being sure to combine well, it should begin to change to a darker (dirty) color.
6. Add the additional rice one spoonful at a time until the overall mixture is solid, but not dry.



















7. Keep stirring until everything is incorporated.