From Rock and Roll Comfort Cooking
Jambalaya, a traditional Louisiana Creole dish, is one of the South's greatest contributions to American cooking. Fantastic for a party, this version blends andouille sausage, shrimp, chicken, and spicy tomato rice in every sensational bite.
Shrimp and Chicken Jambalaya
1 pound shrimp in the shell
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 andouille sausage or other spicy smoked sausage, thinly sliced diagonally
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded, deribbed, and diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon each dried thyme, oregano, and basil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
3 bay leaves
1/4 cup flour
3 cups low-salt chicken broth
One 14 1/2 oz. can crushed tomatoes with juice
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
6 green onions, sliced, including 1 inch green parts
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
- In a large saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the shrimp for 2 minutes, or until they turn pink. Transfer the shrimp to a plate: let cool, then shell and chop into bite-size pieces. Add the chicken breasts to the pan of boiling water, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until opaque throughout. Transfer the chicken to a plate, let cool, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- In a large, heavy saucepan cook the sausage over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until browned. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off the fat in the pan, add the loive oil, and saute the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, oregano, basil, cayenne, and bay leaves for 7 minutes, or until the onion is golden. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth and the tomatoes and juice. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, chicken, sausage, green onions, salt and pepper.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid. Stir in the shrimp and cook to heat through, 2 or 3 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
You can use one 14 1/2 oz can whole tomatoes and their juice by adding them to a food processor and processing until finely chopped by not liquefied.