cajun kitchen

before mardi gras completely passes us by, we wanted to post a dish that makes us feel like we are in that deep south.  this version of our jambalaya is one we just put together.  with a little research and a lot of tasting, we came up with what we think is a pretty good one.  we loaded this guy with all sorts of goodness, and included ham even though we thought about omitting it.  but we discovered here that the name jambalaya derives from the french "jambon" meaning, you guessed it, "ham," which is the one of the main ingredients in many of the first jambalayas.  our not so secret heat source was from the famous crystal hot sauce from louisiana.  in my mind, the dish is really built around this sauce, but we'll let you be the judge.  if you have a favorite hot sauce let us know about it!

Jambalaya

2 tbs olive oil

2 small onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded & chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbs tomato paste

2 cups long grain rice

1 tsp creole seasoning

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 bay leaves

2 1/4 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

2 tbs crystal hot sauce, or more to taste

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped

2 cups diced cooked andouille sausage

2 cups diced cooked ham

2 cups frozen langoustine tail meat or medium tail-off shrimp

1 bunch green onion, sliced - optional garnish

in a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, heat oil over medium high heat and sweat onion, celery and pepper until softened, about 10 minutes. add garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute. stir in rice and cook 3 minutes until rice is fragrant and coated. add remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover, cooking for 20-25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked. let sit covered 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. garnish with sliced green onion & more hot sauce.