Smokycajunjambalaya Recipes

CAJUN JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or similar pot, fry the bacon over medium heat. When it's crispy, remove and chop. Set aside. Brown the duck and thighs well. Add the onion, celery and green pepper and brown that, too. Let this cook a minute or three, then add the garlic. In some cases, your pot may be too crowded, so if that happens, fish out the thighs for the moment.
• As the vegetables are cooking, use the liquid they release to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Let everything cook until you get bits starting to stick again. Add a splash of stock and the tomato paste, along with the oregano and Cajun seasoning. Stir well and let this cook until it starts to stick one more time.
• Stir in the rice and andouille and let this cook for a minute or two. Add in the rest of the stock, stir well, scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot, drop the heat to low and let this cook until the rice is done, about 20 minutes.
• Stir in the chives and parsley before serving.

CAJUN JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and Creole seasoning, and work in seasoning well. In a large saucepan heat oil over high heat with onion, pepper and celery, 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. When rice is just tender add shrimp and chicken mixture and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.

CAJUN CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• The most important thing is to use the right equipment and I would suggest the following: a 2-gallon cast iron Dutch oven, a high BTU gas stove, and a large stainless steel chef's spoon.
• Use high heat to preheat the Dutch oven and add the sausage. Using a chef's spoon or large spoon, constantly move the sausage from the bottom of the pot. Be careful not to burn the meat. (Normally I use Manda's sausage because it has little fat, however at this point you may want to drain off all of the excess grease to reduce the fat content from the dish.)
• Add the thigh meat and brown the chicken on all sides. Again use the spoon to scrape the meat from sticking and burning to the bottom of the pot. Browning the sausage and chicken meats should take 20 minutes. Be careful not to over cook the thigh meat to the point that it shreds.
• Lower the heat to medium and add the onions and garlic; saute for about 15 minutes or until the onions are very limp and "clear". Scrape the bottom of the pot to remove all the "graton". This is where the jambalaya gets its distinct brown color and taste.
• Add the tasso, thyme, basil and black and white pepper. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. This will give the seasonings time to release their oils and flavors.
• At this point the jambalaya concentrate can be transferred to smaller containers, cooled to room temperature, covered and refrigerated for future use. (This is what we do commercially; it allows the seasonings to marry.)
• When you are ready to cook the jambalaya, add the stock to the concentrate and bring to a rolling boil. Add the rice, reduce the heat to medium and gently break up the rice. Using the stainless steel paddle, continue to insure that the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pot; this is very important!
• After about 5 minutes, fold in the parsley. Continue to scrape the pot to insure that no rice sticks to the bottom. When the jambalaya returns to a boil, reduce heat to the lowest possible setting and simmer, covered, for at least 25 minutes. Do not remove the cover while the rice is steaming.
• If Manda's brand sausage is not available, any lean smoked sausage can be substituted. You may have to remove any excess grease from the pot after frying down an unknown sausage.
• For a richer jambalaya substitute turkey stock for the chicken stock called for above.
• If no stocks are available, then chicken soup base can be used. Be careful with your seasoning, as bases are usually full of salt.
• Alternate Method:
• The jambalaya is best when served directly out of the cast iron pot. While the rice is steaming, the sausage and meat will have a tendency to float to the surface of the jambalaya. Therefore, after the rice has steamed for 25 minutes, use the paddle to gently fold in the meat and seasonings into the cooked rice. This should only be done once or twice, the rice will loose a lot of heat and the rice will break apart.
• Also note, I do not add salt to my jambalaya. This is because I like to use herbs, tasso and seasonings to satisfy the need for salt. I would suggest having the table set with salt shakers and a selection of hot pepper sauces.
• Plate Presentation:

CAJUN JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and Creole seasoning, and work in seasoning well. Set aside.
• In a large pot heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, pepper and celery. Cook for about 3 minutes.
• Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
• When rice is just tender add shrimp and chicken mixture and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.

CAJUN JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large enameled cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally to brown chicken all over, about 8 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate, leaving oil in skillet.
• Add sausage, cook turning once to brown, about 1 minute per side. Remove to plate with chicken, leaving oil in skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining tablespoon oil, onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan and stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden, about 8 minutes.
• Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add bay leaf, paprika, cayenne, oregano, and thyme and continue to cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Return meat and any accumulated juices to skillet. Stir in broth, increase heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until rice is tender, 20 minutes. Serve.

QUICK JAMBALAYA RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add sausage and onions; cook and stir 10 min. or until sausage is no longer pink.
• Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Bring to boil; cover.
• Remove from heat; let stand 5 min. Stir gently before serving.

SMOKY CAJUN JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• Cut sausage into 1/2-inch pieces; cut chicken into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Cook sausage in oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until browned.
• Add chicken, and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or until browned.
• Stir in ham, and cook until thoroughly heated.
• Remove meat mixture, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in Dutch oven.
• Return meat mixture to Dutch oven; stir in Cajun seasoning and next 5 ingredients.
• Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Stir in chicken broth and remaining ingredients; cook, stirring constanly, 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

SOUTHERN JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat; cook and stir the onions, bell pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper until the vegetables are a deep brown color, about 20 minutes. Add the andouille sausage, and continue to cook, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain any fat. Stir in the chicken and bay leaves; cook and stir until the chicken is browned, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in the rice, and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in water; cover and cook over medium heat, without stirring, until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, stir in the green onions and serve.