In New Orleans, Mardi Gras has officially kicked off …
… with lots of fun, parades, and good food to be indulged over the next week until the sun sets on Fat Tuesday.
So this year cook up a few Cajun favorites, invite friends over and start your own Mardi Gras tradition.
Nowhere else in the country is food such an integral part of the culture. One only has to mention the city New Orleans and good times and great food come to mind.
And Jambalaya is one iconic dish that screams New Orleans and good times!
South Louisianans have a love and a passion for good food. Their cuisine is unique because, as a whole, it has a much bigger flavor than what you get in the rest of the United States.
For those not born and raised in Louisiana, what we consider “Cajun” food for the most part is technically “Creole” cooking. The French who settled in Southern Louisiana in the early 1700s adapted their own outstanding culinary techniques to the abundant herbs, seafood, games, meat, and vegetables of the region. Eventually their cooking style was infused with spiciness from the Spanish settlers and African slaves’ use of herbs. This mélange of styles became known as Creole cookery.
The Creole version of “dirty rice,” jambalaya is best enjoyed simply with a loaf of crusty French bread. Most recipes include shrimp, chicken, and sausage … but you can omit easily omit the shrimp if someone at your table has an allergy.
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Happy Mardi Gras!
Shrimp, Chicken, and Sausage Jambalaya
- 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound smoked Andouille sausage, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion (1 small onion)
- 1/2 cup seeded and finely diced green bell pepper (1 small pepper)
- 1/4 cup finely diced celery (1 rib)
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 can (15-ounce) tomato sauce
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups uncooked white rice
- 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the oil until a few droplets of water sizzle when carefully sprinkled in the pot. Sauté the chicken pieces until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate. In the same pot, sauté the sausage until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer the sausage to the plate with the chicken. Drain all but about 1 tablespoon of fat from the pot.
Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery and sauté, stirring often, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, thyme, and bay leaves and sauté until the mixture is cooked down, about 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
While the vegetable mixture is cooking, combine the tomato sauce and chicken stock in a separate pot. Over high heat, bring to a simmer.
Add the rice to the vegetable mixture and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Return the meats to the pot and stir to combine. Slowly pour the tomato and stock mixture into the jambalaya, stirring to combine evenly. Stir in the chopped parsley.
Over high heat, bring the jambalaya to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and fold in the shrimp. Let stand covered until the shrimp are cooked through and the flavors have melded, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Serves 6 to 8.
Recipe reprinted with permission from Simply Suppers by Jennifer Chandler.
