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By Jennie Guido

My family is full of traditions during the holidays. Thanksgiving is a day-long sprint of cooking, taste testing, Bloody Mary’s, and naptime. The month of Christmas preparations is a marathon of activities for us Guidos. We start with the decorating; and now that we have three houses to deck, it takes a little time and effort.

There are lights to be hung, bows to be tied, and trees to flock. We watch Home Alone on repeat, laugh with the Griswolds, and celebrate dysfunction with The Family Stone. Most importantly though, we have family recipes that are made year after year.

If you know us, you know that the Guido spaghetti and meatballs are made by the hundreds, frozen, and enjoyed year-round. It’s the star of the show on Christmas Day. Why even bother with a turkey?

However, there is another dish that is a mainstay to our family’s holiday menu — the LeBlanc Dirty Rice. Some call it rice dressing, but for us, it’s delicious dirty rice.

I will give you a fair warning. The liver preparation is not for the faint of heart or stomach. I was present for it one year, and I will never do that again. The liver is an important part of the recipe and cannot be skipped. It’s an ingredient much like vegetables for children. You hide them in plain sight so they will be eaten, and you hope there are no questions on how they got there.

 

LeBlanc Family Dirty Rice

1 pound chicken livers

1 pound ground hamburger meat

3 tablespoons cooking oil

10 green onions, finely chopped

½ cup bell pepper, chopped

½ cup celery, chopped

½ teaspoon Greek seasoning

Few dashes Tabasco

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

2 cups white rice, cooked

 

In a sauce pan, heat the cooking oil and sauté onions, bell peppers, and celery until tender. Add hamburger meat and cook until done. Drain excess grease. Puree the livers in a food processor, add to the meat in the sauce pan, and stir constantly while cooking. To this, add Greek seasoning, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper. Let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Add in the cooked rice. Stir gently and serve. Serves 8 to 10 people.