Dirty Rice

Traditional dirty rice is made with ground organ meats, but I'm not a fan. So i substitute ground beef. I also don't like it as spicy, so I use more bell pepper, and less hot pepper.. Ingredients


1 1/2 cup long-grain rice (Carolina, basmati, jasmine, etc)
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef
3 slices of bacon, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper or 1-3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
2 green onions, chopped

Method

1 Cook the rice according to the package instructions, but use chicken broth for one third of the cooking liquid. So, for example, if the package says to use 3 cups of water for 1 1/2 cups of rice, use 2 cups of water and 1 cup of chicken broth. Once the rice has finished cooking, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Turn the rice out onto a sheet pan and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over it. Mix to combine and let cool.

2 While the rice is cooking,  get a large pan that can eventually hold the rice plus everything else, put 1 tablespoon of oil plus the bacon in and cook over medium-low heat until the bacon is crispy.

3 Add the ground pork and ground beef and increase the heat to high. Allow the meat to brown before stirring. As soon as the meat starts to brown, add the final tablespoon of oil and add the celery, peppers, and onions. Brown them all over medium-high heat. You may notice the bottom of the pan getting crusty. Keep it from burning by lowering the heat if needed. 


4 Add the remaining cup of chicken broth and deglaze the pan by scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the Cajun seasoning and turn the heat to high. Boil away most of the chicken stock and then add the cooked rice. Toss to combine.

5 Turn off the heat and add the green onions. Toss once more to combine and serve hot.



Yield: Serves 4.