Jambalaya

One of Creole cookery’s hallmarks, jambalaya is a versatile dish that combines cooked rice with a variety of ingredients including tomatoes, onions, green peppers and almost any kind of meat, poultry or shellfish. It’s thought that the name derives from the French jambon, meaning “ham” the main ingredient in many of the first jambalayas.

Makes: 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound andouille sausage or other highly seasoned sausage
½ pound chicken breast, cut into 1″ pieces
12 shrimp, raw, tail-on, deveined
2 cups green peppers, cleaned, medium dice
2 cups red peppers, cleaned, medium dice
3 yellow onions, medium dice
2 cups celery, medium dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
4 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons file powder
3 bay leaves
2 ½ cups converted rice
1, 28 oz. can of Italian tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups chicken stock (heated)
To garnish … Fresh parsley and scallions

PROCEDURE
Heat a large, heavy pot over a medium flame. Add oil. Sauté sausage and chicken until browned and cooked through, quickly toss in the shrimp until they are pink. Using a slotted spoon, remove meats and set aside. In the remaining oil, sauté the peppers, onions, celery and garlic until deep golden brown (this may take up to 20 minutes). Add the thyme, basil, oregano, black pepper, cumin, file powder and bay leaves and stir thoroughly to combine. Add the rice, tomatoes and tomato paste and sauté until the rice grains are translucent, about five minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the mixture. Stir well to fully incorporate and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is just tender. Remove bay leaves from the rice and add the sausage, chicken and shrimp. Stir to combine. Garnish with scallions and fresh parsley.