"Tame" jambalaya

Oh jambalaya. I didn't think I would actually like this food. Every time I mentioned picking up some shrimp for dinner, The Husband would say, "Oh? For jambalaya?" I would sigh and say, "Ugh, jambalaya." 

Well, come to find out, I actually really like jambalaya, and now clamor to make it on a regular basis.

This is the tame version of jambalaya. There's minimal heat but a lot of flavor. This dish makes enough to feed an army, or your family for a week. I used the chicken stock from a previous post in the recipe, but I have used canned/cubed in the past. 

Here is what you will need to make a flavorful jambalaya:

1 medium to large tomato, diced (see pics)

1 bunch of celery (tops removed and used in stock the night before), diced, but not too small (see pics)

1/2 of an onion (the other half was used in the stock the night before), diced, but not too small (see pics)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons of butter

1 Tablespoon of paprika

1 Tablespoon of smoked paprika 

1 Tablespoon of ground cumin

1 teaspoon of chili powder

Fresh ground pepper to taste - I use rainbow peppercorns from Funky Fairy

Salt to taste

6 cups of chicken stock - http://patesplates.blogspot.com/2014/08/chicken-stock-experiment.html

2 cups of dry brown rice

3 pounds of various meats, prepared - We use about one pound each of a poultry, pork and seafood. Thus far, our favorite mix is chicken breast, kielbasa and shrimp. I'm trying to find a lower-fat mix. I'm open to suggestions from the readers! 

If using shrimp, remove the tails, skin and vein and put it back in the fridge. 

This is about the size of properly diced tomatoes.

I prefer to have my onions this size. They keep their firmness in the long cooking time.

Chop the celery uniformly.

Homemade broth.

After collecting your ingredients, let's get started!

1. Chop all the vegetables and set them aside.

2. Put two tablespoons of butter in a large pot, sauté the garlic, and spices in the pot for a couple of minutes over medium heat, until fragrant.

3. Add the tomatoes, cooking some of the liquid out of the vegetable.

4. Add fragrant vegetables of your choice. I use onions and celery. You can also use red or green peppers. Sauté for several minutes.

5. Add your meat -- except the shrimp -- and saute.

6. Add dry rice and sauté  for 30 seconds.

7. Add broth and bring to a rolling boil. Once it boils, turn it down to a simmer. Let simmer for 40 minutes.

8. Check the firmness of the rice, and the seasonings.

9. Add the shrimp and cook for another five minutes.

10. Enjoy!!

Be on the look out in coming weeks for a kicked-up version of this!