jmcquown wrote:
> Yes, tonight I'm preparing dinner from a boxed mix. Zatarain's Dirty Rice.
> Not as a side, just for dinner.
>
> Now, I normally would prepare this as a side using a recipe given to me by a
> former co-worker, Mz. Cloutier from Houma, Louisana. But I suspect she just
> adapted it from Paul Prudhomme's recipe, which I've prepared in the past
> (excellent!). But that serves about 10 people. I'm one people
>
> At any rate, I have no chicken gizzards or livers to grind up to add to this
> so I'm just using ground beef. I'll tart up the mixture with chicken stock
> rather than water; I'll add some diced green bell pepper, onion and garlic
> and a squirt of fresh lemon juice. Alas, I have no celery. I'll taste it
> and add some hot sauce and maybe even ground sassafrass leaves (file powder)
> after the rice cooks. File is a thickener as well as a seasoning. This is
> one quick cooking boxed meal which I adore. And as I said, I eat this as a
> meal, over a period of a several days or I can freeze the leftovers. For
> those of you who don't know, cooked rice freezes very well.
>
> Jill

I love Zatarains mixes. The dirty rice is quite good. My favorite,
though, is the Hoppin John. I add another can of black-eyed peas to
the mix--serve with a topping of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped
tomato, cucumber and onion. And don't forget cornbread.

Yum!!--r3