Guest Post: Dirty Rice by Caroline Paras

As you can probably guess, frazgo isn't doing the cooking right now. I'm stepping in to share one of my recipes from my foodie blog. My blog is dedicated to my mom and the recipes she passed along -- and a few of my own that I've whipped up over the years. Most of my cooking comes from what I know, using Asian vegetables and rice. I've also branched out a bit and cook up foods that I enjoy, For this shared recipe, I thought I would combine rice with a bit of Cajun-flavoring and make Dirty Rice.

I like to think of Dirty Rice as steamed rice stir-fry. Like stir-fry, you combine a bunch of ingredients with rice and it becomes a meal. This dish gets its name from the look of white rice that is used that then gets its "dirty" color from being cooked with minced chicken livers. I know, no one eats chicken livers anymore. But, use the chicken livers, the ingredient adds that extra kick to make the recipe really good. Because of the depth of flavor, I serve Dirty Rice as both a main dish and/or as a side dish. I use a combination of onions, celery and bell peppers to form the base. Then I use green chiles for a mild flavor. If you are looking for something spicier, use jalapeño chili peppers. And, if you like this recipe, you can find "My Mama's Recipes and a Few of My Own" at http://mamasrecipesandafew.wordpress.com/ Enjoy! 

Dirty Rice 
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup long-grain rice
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 lb. spicy ground pork
1/2 cup chicken livers
3 slices of bacon, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper
1-3 jalapeños, seeded and chopped or 1/4 cup diced green chiles
1 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
2 green onions, chopped
 Directions
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.

While the rice is cooking, mash and finely chop the chicken livers or purée in a blender. In a large pan, put 1 tablespoon of oil plus the bacon in and cook over medium-low heat until the bacon is crispy. Add the ground pork and increase the heat to high. Allow the meat to brown before stirring. As soon as the pork starts to brown, add the final tablespoon of oil and add the bell peppers, celery, jalapeños and onions. Brown them all over medium-high heat. Add the minced liver and cook for a few minutes more. 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.

Add the cooked rice. Toss to combine. Add the green onions. Toss once more to combine and serve hot.

Arroz Caldo

Every nation and culture has its version of chicken soup. In the Philippines it is called "Arroz Caldo" and I got the base recipe from my friend Caroline Paras who made it one day earlier this week to help her get over a cold. (See every nation uses chicken soup to get over the common cold too...or its just great comfort food).

In her recipe it called for less liquid with the notation to add more liquid if it got too thick. Well it got too thick very quickly so I monitored how much extra stock I needed for the soup and it was substantial. The stock listed in my recipe is what I actually used and it probably could have used a bit more liquid at the end as that rice sure absorbs it all fast!

In the area of garnish I deviated and instead of using lemon as a "garnish" I added it too the soup direct to give it an extra zip of flavor. That little bit of acid and lemon really played well with the ginger in the soup and will continue to incorporate it in the base soup instead of using as just a garnish. Its that good with it.

In terms of garnish I used simple chopped green onion as was listed in the recipe from Caroline. I think the next time I make this soup, which will be very soon, I'll include chopped cilantro with the green onion. Probably straying a bit from what the Philippine version would call for as a garnish, but it would be quite tasty with the ginger and lemon.

Arroz Caldo

• approx 1 ½ lbs chicken thigh, cut into 1"cubes
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 knobs of ginger peeled, chopped 1/4" inches (about 2 tablespoons)
• 4 cloves of garlic (chopped roughly)
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 2 cups of sweet or jasmine rice (uncooked)
• 1 quart of chicken stock (fat free, sodium free)
• 2 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
• salt and pepper to taste
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• optional:
• green onions, chopped
• roasted or fried garlic pieces
• boiled eggs
• calamansi juice

In a dutch oven, heat oil. Add chicken pieces. Brown on one side. When pieces are ready to flip, add garlic, onions and ginger and sauteed until chicken pieces are browned.

Add rice. Give a quick toss. Add chicken stock and patis. Bring to a boil, stirring the rice and chicken mixture. Lower heat to simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover. Every so often, stir the pot so rice does not stick to the bottom and to check for the tenderness of rice. If the mixture becomes too thick, add more chicken stock or water.

When rice is very tender, serve. Garnish with green onions, roasted garlic pieces, boiled eggs. Add calamansi juice as an option to add more flavor.