Courtesy of Chef Paul Prudhomme, here is one of the dishes that put Louisiana, Creole and Cajun cooking on the map back at the 1984 Worlds Fair in New Orleans. Featured in an article on the popularity and history of Louisiana foodways, this dish is a standard in the repetoire that's worth learning to do right. If you like the recipe, then check out Louisiana Cookin' magazine. Subscribe with the promotion code wwoz2010, and they'll donate $5 to WWOZ. 

Makes 4 Main-Dish or 8 Appetizer Servings

Ingredients

2/3 cup (about 3 ounces) Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Tasso
1 cup (about 6 ounces) Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Andouille Smoked Sausage, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 1/2 cups bite-size pieces chicken
2 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Seafood Magic, Poultry Magic, or Meat Magic
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
4 medium-size fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup tomato sauce
2 cups seafood stock
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 cups uncooked rice, preferably processed
1 1/2 pounds peeled medium (26–30 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

Melt the fat in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the tasso and andouille and cook,stirring frequently, until crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottomof the pan well, until tender but still firm, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken, raise the heat to high and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Reduce theheat to medium, add the Magic Seasoning Blend, bay leaves, and garlic.

Cook, stirring constantly and scraping the pan bottom as needed, for 3 minutes. Add thetomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add the tomato sauce to the saucepan and continue to cook,stirring fairly often, for 7 minutes.

Stir in the stock, bring to a boil, then stir in the green onions. Cook, stirring once or twice, for 2minutes.

Add the rice and shrimp, stir well, and remove from the heat. Transfer to an ungreased 8 x 8-inch baking pan, cover snugly with aluminum foil, and bake until the rice is tender, but still a bitcrunchy, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and serveimmediately.

PAIR WITH: Ravenswood Zinfandel “Lodi”