RED RICE WITH BUTTER FRIED SHRIMP AND HERBS

Chef Edouardo Jordan sent us his tomato sauce recipe for making red rice. This dish is great for using up any leftover cooked chicken or other meat you happen to have on hand. We chose Prairie Ronde Long Grain Rice from Louisiana; stirred in shredded cooked chicken and fresh herbs; and topped the dish with shrimp fried in butter.

FOR THE RED-RICE BASE

2 1/2 strips bacon, cut into small dice (about 1/2 cup) 1 small yellow onion, diced small (about 3/4 cup) 2-3 cloves garlic, sliced (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) 1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch of black pepper

1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste

2 cups tomato puree

1 3/4 cups pork stock (may use chicken stock) 1 teaspoon habanero hot sauce or other hot sauce,

plus more to taste

Splash of Pedro Ximenez sherry vinegar, plus more

to taste

Kosher salt

FOR THE REST

6 cups cooked white rice

1 heaping cup chopped fresh herbs (such as mint,

basil, cilantro, tarragon or parsley)

Juice of 1 lime, plus more to taste

2-4 cups cooked and shredded protein, such sausage, shrimp, crab, fish, vegetables or any combination thereof (optional)

To make the base: In a large heavy boiler or sauce pot, render bacon over medium-high heat until just starting to crisp, about 4 minutes. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook through, about 1 minute. Stir in coriander, cumin and black pepper. Stirring, add tomato paste, and allow the paste to caramelize, about 1 minute. Add tomato puree and let cook until acids are neutralized and excess moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the pork (or chicken) stock and the hot sauce, and simmer for about 15 minutes, until a thick sauce has formed. Season with sherry vinegar to taste and kosher salt to taste.

To build the dish: In a large bowl, mix the red-rice base with the cooked rice, herbs, the lime juice and protein (if using). (Start with about 2 cups of the base, and add more to taste; you may not need it all.) Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt, pepper, lime juice or hot sauce to taste.

Per serving: 431 calories (percent of calories from fat, 10), 31 grams protein, 64 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 5 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 119 milligrams cholesterol, 1,173 milligrams sodium.

For Red Rice with Butter Fried Shrimp and Herbs, mix the base with any kind of cooked rice and eat it as a side dish. Add protein of choice (sausage, fish, crab, etc.) and serve it as a main.