Name: Lake Charles Dirty Rice
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons canola oil; 4 ounces ground pork; 1/2 cup chicken livers (about 4 ounces), pureed; 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon chili powder; 1 1/2 cups chicken broth; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 2 celery stalks, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 3 cups cooked rice; 1/2 bunch scallions (white and green parts), chopped; 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

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Lake Charles Dirty RiceCookbook cover image courtesy of Random House

This recipe appears at just about every occasion in Cajun Country. Whether it's a holiday, funeral, family reunion, or potluck dinner, you can bet there will be at least one form of dirty rice or rice dressing. At the Link family reunion in Robert's Cove, I counted six versions, all different. The essential ingredients are few, but flavor and texture vary greatly. The main difference between dirty rice and rice dressing is that rice dressing is generally made with ground beef or pork, whereas dirty rice is made with pork and chicken livers. Many people think they don't like liver, but when it's balanced with other flavors, the liver taste is not overpowering. I've served this deeply flavored rice to many people who claim they hate liver, only to have them love it.

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