Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from The Dooky Chase Cookbook by Leah Chase and are part of our story on Mardi Gras.

Ingredients

　　1 lb. smoked ham (cubed)

　　1/2 lb. chaurice* (hot sausage cut in pieces)

　　1/2 lb. smoked sausage (cut in 1/2-inch slices)

　　1 cup chopped onions

　　3 cups uncooked rice

　　1/4 cup chopped green onions

　　1/2 tsp. paprika

　　1 tbsp. chopped parsley

　　1 tsp. ground thyme

　　1 tsp. chopped garlic

　　1/2 cup chopped green pepper

　　1 tsp. salt

　　1 bay leaf

　　1 lb. shrimp (peeled and deveined)

　　4 cups boiling water

　　Place ham, sausages, and onions in 3-quart saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat until onions are soft. No need to add any oil as the meat will provide enough fat for cooking. Add rice and stir well. Add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes. Lower heat. Cover pot tightly and let cook slowly for 35 minutes or until rice is tender. With a fork, fluff rice up, mixing sausages well.

　　*Editor's note:

　　Chaurice is a freshly made (not precooked) hot sausage common in southern Louisiana. Any uncooked hot sausage can be substituted.

　　THE DOOKY CHASE COOKBOOK