Guest Post - Andouille Dirty Rice Dressing

I am so pleased to be here today and share one of my favorite Cajun recipes on my friend Darlena’s incredible blog, Tales of an Unlikely Mother. Please, let me introduce myself: I’m Jessica, the girl behind the Cajunlicious blog. When Darlena asked me if I would like to do a guest post on a Cajun twist to a Thanksgiving Day side I knew this would make the perfect side dish for anyone’s Thanksgiving menu.

If you are not familiar with Cajun food, here is a little history.

Cajun cuisine (in French: Cuisine Acadienne) An authentic Cajun meal is usually a three-pot event, with one pot devoted to the main dish, one dedicated to rice, cornbread, or another grain dish, and the third containing a vegetable. The food is regularly spicy and typically makes use of regionally abundant provisions such as seafood, wild game, and rice. Most Cajun dishes begin with trinity, which provides the distinctive flavoring of specific dishes.

To read more about Cajun Culture click here

So, without further ado, I give you my Andouille Dirty Rice Dressing

Traditional dirty rice is made from Boiled Cajun Rice cooked with small pieces of chicken giblets, which give it a “dirty” color and a distinctive flavor, but I love the flavor that Andouille sausage adds to any meal and this side is always on my table for all holidays.

You will need

1-cup long grain white basmati rice

Chicken stock

8 ounces of Andouille sausage, diced

1 & 1/2 cups trinity

3 white mushrooms, sliced

2 garlic cloves, pressed

Tabasco pepper vinegar, to taste

Crystal hot sauce, to taste

Cajun seasoning blend

To make the Cajun seasoning blend mix salt, pepper, parsley, granulated garlic, onion powder, cayenne powder, and a pinch of dried thyme. Mix well and adjust to your liking.

For the rice

Rinse rice 2 times with a strainer to remove extra starch. Place rice in a saucepan and add 1 ½ cups chicken stock, 2 bay leaves, 1-teaspoon olive oil, and a pinch of sea salt. Place saucepan (uncovered) over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Let the stock reduce slightly below the rice. Cover and reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

For the Dirty Part

Sauté the andouille on medium high heat to brown. Once browned and slightly crisp lower the heat to medium and render the fat.

Remove andouille with a slotted spoon into a bowl. Sauté the trinity in the rendered fat until soft and add the garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook until the garlic is fragrant. Add the seasoning mixture and stir.

Add 2/3 cup chicken stock and 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco pepper vinegar and deglaze the pan scrapping up any brown bits. Add the amount of hot sauce you like to season while the cooking in finishing.

Add the andouille and rice. Cook until liquid is absorbed.

View my post about perfect Boiled Cajun Rice.

Thank you so much Darlena for inviting me to guest post with you today, it truly is an honor!

Have a happy, safe, and yummy Thanksgiving everyone!