wyo_rose

Jambalaya, crawfish pie, file' gumbo,....
I've had that song stuck in my head ever since we started gathering ingredients for jambalaya.

I think you can put in just about anything, but you gots ta have the trinity: onion, peppers, and celery. Most traditional jambalayas have chicken, shrimp, and andoille sausage. Well, try finding andoille sausage in the middle of Wyoming. Anyway, after reading many recipes, here's what I did and it was SO GOOD, our leftovers didn't last long.

1 onion
1 green pepper
4 stalks celery
1 bunch green onions
2 fresh jalapeno peppers
2 cloves garlic
1 zucchini
1/2# chicken breast
1/2 pound shelled shrimp
1/2 # sausage, I used polska kielbasa
1/4 # ham
2 Cups chicken broth
1 Cup rice
2 teaspoons cajun seasoning (I didn't have any so used 1/2 teaspoon red pepper powder-cayenne I think, it was hot anyway, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon seasoned salt.

(Feel free to add or substract any ingredients. The only critical item is the broth to rice ratio)


Dice and saute' the veggies in a little extra virgin olive oil. Remove. Cube the meats. Fry up in a little oil beginning with the chicken (unless it's already cooked) and ending with the shrimp. Add everything together. Bring to a slow boil, cover, turn the heat down and simmer for 1/2 hour on low.

If there's still a lot of liquid, remove the lid and continue simmering for a while longer. It will also thicken slightly as it cools.

Enjoy! It's hot, so be warned. If you don't want it hot, leave out the jalapenos and cayenne.

You're gonna like it so much, maybe you should double it!!

between2worlds

wyo - that isn't the only thing cajun that's hard to find outside of Lou-Zee-Ann!

Here's an online place that I've used with success for many an obscure cajun ingrediant -

http://www.cajungrocer.com/

They also include a recipe for homemade andouille -

http://www.cajungrocer.com/clientdata/andouille.html

It make an envie fo'sure!

(yeah, yeah I spent a little over a year in New Orleans and ended up meeting some great Cajun folk in Gonzales... I was a raggedety 19 yo and they took me in on weekends like I was a "motherless chile". Hoo-ya, laissez les bons temps rouler!).

wyo_rose

How cool! The andouille sausage recipe looks good. Someday I may try it. Just run down to my local WalMart and get the file' powder.

I'm feeling all Cajun. Did a little Veteran's day googling and found our LaJeunesse ancestor was one of two Cajun brothers (possibly three) that came up from Louisiana to trap and guide back in the mid 1800's. And that's LIES-NESS.

wyo_rose

I made some more jambalaya without the recipe and it was to die for! Couldn't find any white rice, so I made chicken Rice-A-Roni and poured the jambalaya over it. ...da bomb...

1 large onion chopped
1 green pepper diced
3-4 celery stalks diced
2 cloves garlic, minced

Saute and add 1 can diced tomatoes with chilies.

To save time, I sauted and seasoned the following meats in a separate pan:
1 pound chicken breast, cubed
1/2 pound diced ham
1/2 pound smoked sausage, diced
1/4 pound breakfast sausage, crumbled

Season with cayenne, black pepper, chili powder and garlic salt. About a teaspoon each, but watch the cayenne.

Mix all together and add 2 cans of broth. I added one each of chicken and beef.

IF you want to cook rice in with it, add 1 cup and 1 cup water. (or just pour the 'stew' over cooked rice)

Cook on low for about 20 minutes. DEE-LISH!!

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