The recipe below was given to us by the queen of Cajun cooking, Marcelle Bienvenu (the gorgeous lady in the photo at right), one of the world's foremost authorities on Cajun cooking. Marcelle's illustrious gastronomical career includes stints at Commander's Palace, Brennan's, and other top New Orleans restaurants; owning her own restaurant in Lafayette (Chez Marcelle); authoring books on her own and with culinary superstar Emeril Lagasse; and penning a popular column, Cooking Creole, for the New Orleans Times Picayune.

We cooked this dish and shot the photos for this article right in Marcelle's own kitchen on Bayou Teche in her home town of St. Martinville, Louisiana. Click the links at the end of this recipe to learn more about that day, Marcelle, and for more of her authentic Cajun recipes.

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1. Heat the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat.

2. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, until they are soft and lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Add the shrimp and ham, and sausage if using. Cook for two to three minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink.

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4. Stir in the tomatoes.

5. Add the chicken broth.

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6. Season to taste with salt and cayenne.

7. Stir in the the bay leaves and the rice.

8. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes. IMPORTANT TIP: Don't stir once you put the lid on the pot.

9. Remove the bay leaves and serve. Pass the hot sauce!

*Devein Shrimp -- To Devein shrimp, carefully run a knife down the back of the peeled shrimp. Remove the black string you expose. For the record, this is purely for aesthetics, there is no harm to eating shrimp with the vein in.