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The word Jambalaya means “jumbled” or “mixed up” in French. I just actually learned of this too. Louisiana has some French influence which reflected in the cooking. The idea of Jambalaya is believed to be in the same philosophy with paella, kedgeree, and risotto.
I always enjoyed Louisiana dish because they often include exotic catches like rabbit, squirrel, frog, alligator, etc, in the cooking. The first time I ate an alligator (not the other way around ha.ha. not funny!) was indeed in New Orleans back in 2000. I’m going to give you the same answer you have perhaps always heard…”Taste like chicken” and I swear, it really was. I couldn’t tell!
As for this jambalaya recipe, it is called for chicken, sausage and shrimp. However, if you can get a hold of other type of exotic meats I mentioned above, go right ahead. I always like jambalaya and for making it from scratch, made me even happier.
SOUTHERN BEANS AND PORK
Ingredients
- 2 chicken thighs , skin on
- 2 chicken drumsticks , skin on
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- Olive oil
- 6 oz smoke sausage , such as andouille or fresh chorizo, skin removed, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 1 small onion , peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 red bell pepper , seeded and roughly chopped
- 2 celery stalks , trimmed and roughly chopped
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 cloves garlic , peeled and sliced
- 1-2 fresh red chiles , seeded and minced
- ½ can of 14-oz can diced tomatoes
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 ¾ cups long-grain rice
- 8-10 extra large raw shrimps , shell-off and cleaned
- A handful of fresh curly parsley
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne. Pour a couple of lugs of oil into a Dutch oven and brown the chicken pieces and sliced sausage over a medium heat. After 5 minutes, once the meat is nicely browned on all sides, add the onion, bell peppers, and celery as well as your bay, thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir, then fry on a medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring every now and again. You want a steady, solid heat
- Once the veggies have softened, add your garlic and chiles, stir around for a minute, then stir in the canned tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring everything to a boil, then turn the heat down, pop the lid on the pan, and simmer for 25-30 minutes or longer until the meat falls off the bone and shred easily. That means the chicken is ready. Feel free to remove the chicken bones at this point if you like
- Add in the uncooked rice. Give it all a good stir, then put the lid on. Give it a stir every few minutes, scraping the goodness from the bottom of the pan as you go. Let it cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the rice i perfectly cooked. Stir in the shrimp, and if it needs it, add enough water to make it a kind of oatmeal consistency. Pop the lid back on and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes while you chop your parsley
- Stir the parsley through and serve on a lovely big platter. It's great with a lemony green salad
