The Love Chef

Recipes

Seafood Recipes

MARDI GRAS JAMBALAYA
"A Big Pot"

One of the great advantages of this recipe is that it can be cooked ahead of time and reheated, and it is easily doubled.

This version is not overly spicy. Serve Louisiana hot sauce and perhaps some file powder (available in specialty shops) for guests who would like to increase heat. Cajun sausage andouille, is available at specialty meat departments, otherwise, use spicy kielbasa. 


            
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
            1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
           
¼ pound smoked ham, cubed
           
½ pound andouille sausage or kielbasa, chopped
            3 cloves garlic, minced
            1 large onion, chopped
            Two 16-ounce cans stewed tomatoes
            1 large green bell pepper, chopped
            3 to 4 ribs celery, chopped
            2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut in bite-size pieces
            3 whole bay leaves
           
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
           
¾ teaspoon dried thyme
            2 cups chicken stock
            2 cups uncooked white rice
            2 pounds small shrimp, peeled and deveined
            Salt to taste

Serves 10 to 12

Melt the butter in the oil in a large skillet. Sauté the ham and sausages until crisp, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and onion and cook an additional 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet with the green pepper, celery, and chicken. Season with bay leaves, cayenne pepper, and thyme. Stir and reduce the heat to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan, bring the chicken stock to a boil, add the rice, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Mix the rice and stock into the main ingredients. Add the shrimp and salt if desired. Cover the skillet and simmer on top of the stove approximately 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender. If there is too much liquid, remove the cover for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove bay leaves. 


“The Love Chef” (Francis Anthony) is the author of several cookbooks and appears on local and national TV. You can find his cookbooks at Amazon.com and/or visit his website www.thelovechef.com. “Cooking With Love” and “The Love Chef” are registered trademarks.

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