Get Dirty - Mamaw's Cajun Dirty Rice

An Ode to my Mamaw. One of my most treasured recipes and this one can make some vegetarians fall off the wagon because it smells and tastes so good. And, the "dirty" in Dirty Rice comes from the liberal, and I mean, LIBERAL use of ground black pepper. If you can't see the pepper, it ain't DIRTY.

Liver is a must. But I don't use chicken livers, I buy beef liver because it looks like steak and has better flavor in my opinion. It also slices, chops much nicer once it cooks.

Here is the dirty rice recipe Mamaw taught me:

• celery, diced
• onions, diced
• bell pepper, green or red, diced
• 4 strips of bacon or 1/2 lb, diced; it dices much easier when very cold.
• A huge bottle of black pepper, seriously, you need a lot
• salt
• Cooked box of Minute Rice (no Minute Maid in this recipe! LOL!) instant/parboiled rice. Don't fudge, Mamaw said. It should be Minute Maid.  It cooks fluffy and perfect. Should be cooled though before mixing in the rest.
• Bunch of flat leaf parsley chopped, the whole bunch; Mamaw does not like the curly, it irritates her. LOL!  Add half to the cooled rice and half you put on top as a garnish.
• Green onions, chopped

Cook the livers like steak in a frying pan over Med-high heat and when done, chop finely. Puh you will not taste it and it's the most important ingredient to dirty rice. Kids won't even know its not hamburger unless you tell them. Set aside.

In the leftover grease of the livers, saute onions, celery, bell pepper and bacon, reserving bacon grease if you need to drain off a little.  Add this mixture once cooled to the cooled rice mixture, add the chopped liver, add half the diced green onions and half the parsley. Salt to taste.  Add the black pepper. I usually use about 1/2 c black pepper (you heard me! make sure you buy enough) but this is also to taste. Remember that the "dirty" part of dirty rice comes from the pepper so it should be a lot but not so much you can't eat it of course.

Garnish the top with the remaining parsley and green onions.  Voila.  Dirty Rice, Mamaw style, which we all know is the only style. Love you dearly, Mamaw!