Lily's Rice Dressing

Lily, my former mother-in-law, had eight children. All her kids and their families usually came to her house for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Lily was a Cajun, but like families across the country, she would usually cook the traditional turkey.

Unlike most of the country, she would stuff her bird with Cajun rice dressing. Lily cooked by feel and taste rather than recipe, but this is a close approximation. Try it sometime and enjoy.

Lily’s Rice Dressing

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken or turkey stock
2 cups rice
1 pound chicken gizzards
½ pound chicken livers
½ pound ground beef
½ pound pork
½ cup oil or meat drippings
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
Salt, pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring chicken stock to a boil in a large saucepan. Add rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer until done, about 20 minutes. Set aside. Simmer chicken gizzards in water to cover until fork tender, about 30 minutes, add livers and cook about 10 more minutes until livers are done. Drain and remove the tender meat from the gizzards, discarding the tough gristle. Grind or process gizzard meat and livers together until coarse. Set aside.

In a large pot, brown the ground beef and pork, drain and set aside. In the same pot, heat the oil and sauté onions, celery and bell pepper until soft. Add garlic and sauté briefly. Away from the heat, add rice, meat, green onions, parsley and seasonings, and toss lightly.

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