riz jaune to the riz-scue

Riz jaune has appeared in my life right when I really needed a new "dinner magic" kind of recipe--something cheap, on-hand, and easy to adapt to all sorts of quick dinner fixes. Riz jaune (say "ree zhahn") is basically a Cajun version of fried rice. You make a sort of trinity-plus-Pope concoction (that's onion/celery/bell pepper + garlic), add veggie bits or leftovers you have around the kitchen, ditto with meats (sausage is especially nice), and then you stir in cold cooked rice and eggs. Mix everything up, cook till the egg is firm and scattered all throughout, then eat it as-is or in dozens of other ways that I haven't even thought of yet. Here's what we have had: Riz-jaune-and-red-bean burrito, and gumbo served over riz jaune instead of plain rice. Good stuff. I can also see this being a great stuffing for vegetables or an interesting bed for some gravied chicken or pork.

Riz Jaune (a sort-of recipe)

Heat a little butter or oil in a large nonstick saute pan with high sides. Saute an onion, a few cloves of garlic, a couple of stalks of celery, a bell pepper (all diced small) until soft. Add other vegetables if you see some sitting around: chopped mushrooms, tomato, eggplant, etc.--just don't let the mixture get too wet. If you have some cooked ham, chicken, pork, or shrimp, add it now. If you have some chopped andouille or other smoked sausage, put that in too! When the pan starts to dry out and some browny bits start forming, pour in about 1/4 cup of wine or stock and stir until the pan is dry again. Then add about 1 1/2 cups cold cooked rice (leftover rice is great for this), about 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and other seasonings like salt, pepper, Tabasco, or Creole seasoning blend to taste. After the rice is coated with vegetable juices, stir in 5 or 6 eggs, lightly beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper. Stir over medium-high heat until the eggs have dried out and firmed up and the rice has turned light yellow (that's the "jaune" in jaune). Eat it!