Creole Style Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya
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| Creole Style Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya |
I love jambalaya, but was afraid to make it for a long time, I think my brain made it seem more complicated than it really was. One day I was watching Food Network (a thing I often did back when I had cable and no children), I saw an episode of Barefoot Contessa where she had a guest that made a great looking jambalaya dish (here's the original recipe). I have now made it countless times over the last 5 years (not always perfectly), and have made a couple of changes and have noticed a couple of things than really make a difference in the overall result. I don't think this is a hard recipe, but the details do matter.
Let's talk about some of the details:
Cast Iron:
I tried cooking this once without a cast iron dutch/french oven, and it didn't turn out nearly as well. A good cast iron dutch oven is a difference maker. I use an enameled version, to help prevent sticking. If you aren't using one what is enameled, make sure it's seasoned well. (Here's some additional information about seasoning a cast iron dutch oven.) Cast iron locks in the heat, moisture and flavor, which makes a huge different to the texture of the rice.
Homemade stock:
We use homemade chicken stock or a combination of chicken and pork or seafood. A good homemade stock provides a more complex flavor and just feels more comforting. You can also control salt levels more effectively or customize the flavor for your tastes more.
Temperature and Boil Means Boil:
Let's talk boiling liquid. When the recipe says to bring the liquid to a boil, that does that mean a low simmer. If you are impatient (like I have done in the past), it will throw off the texture of your rice. Do not add frozen or halfway frozen shrimp, it will cause issues with your cooking time or leave you with partially raw shrimp. If your shrimp are frozen, please thaw those shrimp. One last thing you want to consider, every time you take the lid off, you are loosing heat and vapor.
Get Your Ingredients Ready:
One way I have found to make my stress level better and I never have to worry about food cooking fast than I chop, is to get everything ready first. Start all the chopping, put everything into bowls (and into the refrigerator if necessary), and get yourself into a good rhythm. Also, a good board scraper is my friend when I'm having to cut up a bunch of meat and vegetables, it saves me so much time!
Creole Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound smoked sausage (beef and/or pork)
1 pound smoked andouille
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup diced celery
1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
1 cup seeded and diced tomato
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced OR 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (skip if you are sensitive to spice)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (can substitute up to half with pork or seafood stocks)
3 cups long-grain rice, rinsed
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 to 8 dashes hot sauce, optional (Louisiana style is best)
1/2 cup chopped scallions (green onions), divided
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 pound medium uncooked shrimp, deveined (20 to 24 count)
Directions:
Cut both smoked and andouille sausages into quartered slices (each slice is 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thickness, each disc is quartered. I like to quarter first, then slice the wedges.) Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or black iron pot over medium heat, add half the prepped sausage per batch and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Remove the sausage from pan (leave the oil and drippings) to a bowl, and set aside. Add remaining sausage to the same pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove sausage from pan (again, leave the oil and drippings) and add to the bowl with first batch of sausage, and set aside. Add onion, celery and peppers to the same pot that you cooked the sausage in and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato paste to pot, cook for about 1 minute while stirring. Add tomato, garlic, jalapeno or cayenne, oregano, and thyme, and cook until all the vegetables and herbs are blended well. Add the stock and bring to a full rolling boil. Stir in the rice, and add the sausages, bay leaves, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Return to a full boil, reduce the heat to low, stir well then simmer (covered) for 20 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the scallions, 1/4 cup of the parsley, the lemon juice and the shrimp, and stir well. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat and allow the jambalaya steam, for 15 minutes, before serving.
Cut both smoked and andouille sausages into quartered slices (each slice is 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thickness, each disc is quartered. I like to quarter first, then slice the wedges.) Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or black iron pot over medium heat, add half the prepped sausage per batch and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Remove the sausage from pan (leave the oil and drippings) to a bowl, and set aside. Add remaining sausage to the same pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove sausage from pan (again, leave the oil and drippings) and add to the bowl with first batch of sausage, and set aside. Add onion, celery and peppers to the same pot that you cooked the sausage in and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato paste to pot, cook for about 1 minute while stirring. Add tomato, garlic, jalapeno or cayenne, oregano, and thyme, and cook until all the vegetables and herbs are blended well. Add the stock and bring to a full rolling boil. Stir in the rice, and add the sausages, bay leaves, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Return to a full boil, reduce the heat to low, stir well then simmer (covered) for 20 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the scallions, 1/4 cup of the parsley, the lemon juice and the shrimp, and stir well. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat and allow the jambalaya steam, for 15 minutes, before serving.
Garnish with the remaining 1/4 cup scallions and 1/2 cup parsley, and a dash of hot sauce, if desired.
