There is no reason for going Creole this week aside from a hankering for some amazing food. Jambalaya is one of those things you assume will be very difficult to make, but ends up being so easy you wonder why you don’t do it more often. The trick is in the ingredients, and the timing.

Now I will say, de-veining shrimp is a task I would only wish on my worst enemy. I think we should have death-row inmates devein all the shrimp. Everyone else will think this dish is perfect. But I guarantee the person who had to shell and de-vein the shrimp will say, “I like it…but I think I would like it more without the shrimp.”

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves freshly minced garlic
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup fresh diced tomato
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1.5 cups good quality wild rice blend
• 8 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 12 raw jumbo shrimp, shelled, de-veined and chopped into cubes (we left them whole, and realized they would be better chopped after the fact)
• 1lb andouille sausage cut into bite size pieces (DO NOT substitute for another kind of sausage…the Creole gods will curse you. Trust me, the andouille is the key.)
•  3 bay leaves
• 2 t. worcestershire sauce
• 2 t. hot sauce (we used Louisiana Hot Sauce…any will do)
• 3-4 cups chicken stock
• 2 T. Creole Seasoning (2 T. Paprika, 2 T. Salt, 2 T. Garlic Powder, 1 T. Black Pepper, 1 T. Onion Powder, 1 T. Cayenne Pepper, 1 T. Dried Oregano, 1 T. Dried Thyme)
• Salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste.

Cooking directions:

1) Shell, devein, clean, and chop up raw shrimp. Seriously…pawn this off on your kitchen assistant if you have one…kids are always great for grunt work, but make sure they are old enough to not half-a** it. You don’t want your Jambalaya’s secret ingredients to be shrimp poop.

2) Cube chicken, and cut andouille sausage into chunks. Prepare your creole seasoning.

3) Add about 1 T. Creole seasoning to cubed chicken, and 1 T. to the chopped shrimp (separate bowls) and coat evenly. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the dish.

4) Simmer chopped onion, celery and green pepper in olive oil over medium high heat in a deep skillet for approximately 3 minutes. You don’t want to overcook them. Heat them through, but the real cooking will come later.

5) Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaf, worcestershire, and hot sauces to the pan, and stir until the vegetables are coated.

6) Add rice, and slowly add chicken broth stirring slowly.

7) Turn heat to medium. Cook until rice is still slightly undercooked, but just about done.

8) Add chicken and sausage. Allow to simmer on medium until the rice is done, and the chicken and sausage are cooked thoroughly.

9) Add shrimp to the mixture and allow to cook for another minute or two. Don’t overcook the shrimp. The shrimp can make or break the end result. There’s nothing worse than overcooked, rubbery shrimp…unless it’s overcooked, rubbery shrimp with shrimp poop.

10) Add salt, pepper and hot sauce until you reach your desired flavor.

11) The final result should be moist, but not soupy. If it seems too soupy, allow it to cook a while longer without a lid until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.

12) Serve with crusty french bread and pair with a nice Bloody Cesar (see recipe on the main page).

Enjoy!

– The Phoody