Jambalaya
Recipes for jambalaya usually are very flexible. This
one is not an exception to that rule. Bend this list of ingredients
to what you have available. Do make a trip to your grocer's frozen seafood
section for some shrimp and try to incorporate something that is really
smoked - ham or sausage, as well. For this, I know of no better alternative
than Dettweiler's smoked pork sausage or Canadian bacon.
Ingredients:
1 cup of rice (short grain to be authentic; I use long
Basmati)
6 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
~450 ml diced canned tomatoes
~3 Tbsp tomato paste
2 or 3 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 of a sweet red (or green) pepper, finely chopped
handful of finely chopped fresh parsley
3/4 tsp powdered cloves*
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
~500g smoked sausage and/or ham or bacon, cooked and cut into 1/2 in.
thick cubes
~400 g cooked shrimp, thawed if frozen
*The scent of this ingredient takes you back to New Orleans, if you've been. Not in every j. recipe, but not to be missed.
Process:
Prepare the rice. Mix the cooked rice in just before serving. Thaw the pre-cooked shrimp by running water over bag or cook fresh shrimp if ambitious.
Melt butter in a wok or heavy casserole. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions soft but not brown. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and stir over mod. heat for 5 min. Add celery, red pepper, parsley, cloves, thyme, cayenne, black pepper, and salt. Stirring frequently, cook uncovered over medium heat until the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape lightly in the spoon.
Add the ham and cook for 5 min. while stirring. Stir in the shrimp to heat and finally add the rice.