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Entree Recipes: Jambalaya |
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 This recipe came from a southern gentleman from Baton Rouge. Jambalaya
is essentially pork sausage and rice, with some root vegetables and
tomatoes thrown in. Most everything else is optional. If you don''t eat
pork, use smoked chicken or turkey sausage (the gentleman was older and
concerned about his blood pressure), but we prefer andouille or another
like it. The preparation takes about 20 minutes, the cooking time about
30-40 minutes, depending on the rice. This requires a lot of prep and a
lot of cutting, so try this when you have lots of time. Like with
gumbo, soup, and good loving, you don''t rush the process. Let the dish
cook slowly. You can even finish it in the oven to better monitor the
temperature and rate of cooking:
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1 lb. of chicken or seafood, cubed
- 1 lb. of sausage cut into 1/2 inch slices
- I cup white rice (it calls for parboiled rice, think
quick cooking like Uncle Ben''s, but you can prepare any rice in
advance. You can also use brown rice and it adds a nice
heartiness. Brown rice takes longer to cook.)
FYI How to prepare rice: use 2 cups of water to every 1
cup of rice. Boil water in a pot with a dash of salt and some
oil. Once the water boils, add the rice and bring the
mixture to a second boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to
medium-low and cover pot. Stir rice occasionally to prevent it
from sticking to the pan. Cook for 15 minutes or until cooked all
the way through.
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2 cups chicken stock or water (we prefer stock)
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1 cup tomato sauce (You can dissolve 2 tbsp of tomato paste in
3/4 cup of water. For some reason it's not as acidic as
the sauce can be)
- 1 cup of celery, chopped
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1 cup of bell pepper, chopped
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1 cup of yellow onion, chopped
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1 cup of tomatoes, chopped
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2 cloves of garlic, minced
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1 bay leaf
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1 tsp oregano
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1/2 tsp sage
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1/2 tsp ground black pepper
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1/2 tsp ground white pepper
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1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like it hotter)
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1 tbsp salt (less if the stock is salty)
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2 tbsp olive oil
Prep your ingredients! Trust us, you don''t want to try to time all of this while you''re still chopping celery.
In a stock-pot or large sauce pan, heat oil over medium
high heat. Add chicken, sausage, garlic, onions, and spices and
cook until the meat is browned (if using seafood, you can add it
later, with the vegetables). Reduce heat to medium.
Add the rice now. If using parboiled rice, add rice and stock.
If you''re using regular rice, prepare rice with stock in advance
to al dente (slightly firm) and add at this point (You may need
an extra 1/2 cup of water for the pre-cooked rice). Add the
tomato sauce, cover, reduce to medium low heat, and cook for
15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rest of the
vegetables and seafood, if that's what you're using. Cook for
15 minutes. Add additional water if necessary, but the vegetables
should release a sufficient amount of water.
You can put the jambalaya in the oven to bake once you add
the rice–just add the veggies at the same time,
and put it in the oven @ 350F–but
be sure the pot is oven safe before you do. This way, you can
attend to other things, like setting the table, finding glasses,
or getting dressed. Garnish with parsley, serve with bread and
some hot sauce.
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