Jambalaya

This is a combination of two recipes from Cajun and Creole Cooking, a cookbook I purchased recently. One of the authors is William Paul, AKA Colonel Paul of Colonel Paul's Seasonings. He lives here in Birmingham and is married to Jennifer, a very dear nurse friend of mine. His spices are available in grocery stores locally and also online. I am wild for the Creole Spice, which is an important ingredient in this recipe. There is a little bit of prep involved for this, but it is well worth it!

Jambalaya
(Adapted from Colonel Paul's Cajun Jambalaya and New Orleans Creole Jambalaya)

3 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken breasts, cut into pieces
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced and quartered
2 tbsp Cajun/Creole seasoning, divided
1 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
3 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 cups uncooked white rice
2 tbsp Worchestershire
1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 - 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled

In a skillet, heat the oil and sauté the chicken and sausage together with 1/2 tbsp of Cajun/Creole seasoning until browned. Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and 1/2 tbsp Cajun/Creole seasoning to the skillet and sauté until soft.

In a large pot, combine the meat cooked vegetables, and chicken broth. Add the bay leaves and bring to a boil. Add the rice, Worchestershire sauce, tomato sauce, tomatoes, and 1 tbsp Cajun/Creole seasoning. Bring back to a boil, being careful to stir so the rice will not stick to the bottom of the pot. Cover the pot, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and stir.Continue to cook as needed until the rice is done. Turn heat down to low and add shrimp, cooking until shrimp is pink.

Yield: 6 servings


Chop sausage and chicken. (I used Conecuh brand sausage and it was delicious)

Chop onion, bell pepper, and celery:

Cook chicken and sausage with seasoning until browned:

Sauté vegetables and seasoning until tender:

Add remaining ingredients except for the shrimp and cook until the rice is done. Add shrimp and cook on low heat only until pink. Don't overcook the rice or the shrimp!

I served this with slaw and homemade dill rolls. It is also delicious the next day, if there is actually any left.