Jambalaya
Here is the original Jambalaya recipe
(As modified by Carol Schmidt):
¼ pound of bacon cut in 1 inch pieces (from Lee Menus at Wild
Turkey Farms)
½ cup finely chopped onions
½ medium-sized green peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch
strips (from Sheila Green)
1 cup of raw rice
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
A 1pound 3 ounce can whole pack tomatoes, drained and finely
chopped
½ teaspoon of thyme
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 cups of chicken stock, fresh or canned
½ pound of cooked ham cut into 2 –inch by ½-inch strips
1 pound of medium-sized raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh parsley
Before I get into the method of cooking, I want to let you
know what I did to change the recipe:
1. I used the 1 pound-3 oz can of diced tomatoes
instead of the whole tomatoes.
2. I substituted Chorizo or Andouille sausage
for the ham, same amount ½ pound, cut into bite-sized pieces. The sausage was bought
from both Lee at Wild Turkey and Amy Foster at Gilcrest Farms from Davidson
Market)
3. I added small clams along with the shrimp, both
bought at Piedmont from Jamie at Lucky Fish Seafood.
4. If you are making a chicken Jambalaya instead of
the fish one, add 2 thighs, deboned and one boneless chicken breast cut
into 1/2 – inch chunks.(chicken from Amy Foster)
5. I use brown rice
6. If you are only making one dish you can add
shelf fish at the same time you add the chicken breasts and have chicken and
shell fish Jambalaya
7. I
do not have a casserole dish that is safe to use on the stove top, so I
followed the directions, but transferred everything to a baking dish to
cook. This may cut into the cooking time a little bit.
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a 3-4 quart casserole, fry the bacon over moderate heat until
it has rendered its fat and is brown but not crisp. Drain on paper towels
and reserve.
Add the sausages and cook until browned but not
burned. Add to the bacon on paper towels.
Add the onions to
the fat in the pan and cook them for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until
they are transparent but not browned.
Mix in the chicken thighs and cook until
browned, but not burned; then add the green pepper strips cook for just a few
minutes just as the green peppers are wilting slightly.
Add the rice
and stir until the grains become somewhat opaque and milky.
Then add the
garlic, tomatoes, bacon, thyme, salt, and a few grindings of black pepper,
stirring them all together thoroughly.
Pour in the chicken stock and
bring to a boil. Cover the casserole tightly and place on the lower level
of the oven.
After 10 minutes, add the chicken breast pieces and push
down under the rice. Continue cooking until all of the stock is absorbed
and the rice is tender. If at any point the rice appears dry, add additional
hot chicken stock or hot water a few tablespoons at a time.
Serve from
the casserole or mound the Jambalaya on a large, heated platter. Garnish
with the chopped parsley.
