Shrimp Jambalaya

Mmmmm, Mmmm, Chere! Talk about some good eating, Shrimp Jambalaya is one of my favorite dishes. Shrimp Jambalaya is a Creole or Red rice dish made with tomatoes as opposed to a meat based Cajun jambalaya that has no tomatoes and is darker from the browing of the meat. You can compare this recipe to my Jambalaya recipe that I posted last year.

Shrimp Jambalaya is very popular throughout the year but particularly during Lent when us crazy South Louisiana Catholics observe the penance of not eating meat on Friday's to make up for all of our debauchery the rest of the year! This recipe is taken from the old New Orleans Ursuline Nun's cookbook entitled "Recipes and Reminiscences of New Orleans" published back in 1971. I don't know about the rest of the nation but Popeye's Fried Chicken restaurants in Louisiana serve Shrimp Jambalaya during Lent just for us! Ahhh, eeiiii!

Shrimp Jambalaya

4 lbs large raw shrimp, peeled
3 tbls oil
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 small bellpepper, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 large cans diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 tsp salt, or to taste
2 cups parboiled rice (see Tips and Information)
3 cups water

Peel the shrimp and set aside. In a large pot, saute onion, celery and bellpepper in oil until wilted and onions are clear. Add parsley, tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic and seasonings, stir well. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes.

Add rice and water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low (or warm if your stove runs hot) and stir in shrimp. Cover tightly. Allow to cook untouched for 25-30 minutes. Peek under the lid to see if rice is cooked. Stir to fluff the rice and serve with a nice salad.

Jambalaya

Jambalaya (pro: Jum ba Lie ah) was an attempt by the Spanish to make paella in the New World. With the French influence, two different types of jambalaya developed: Creole or Red Jambalaya which includes tomatoes and Cajun jambalaya which does not. I've had many different types of jambalaya from wild game jambalaya's to seafood jambalaya's and all were excellent. However, the one I make the most is a cajun recipe made with chicken, pork and sausage.

How I came about this recipe is a story in itself. I attended a casual rehersal dinner for a family member. The host/hostess served jambalaya and it was wonderful, one of the best cajun meat jambalayas I've had. Repeatedly, I tried to get the recipe from the host and all he would say was that a friend had cooked it and that it was a basic recipe with a few special secrets. Well, that just egged me on to find out the secrets! I picked through the dish for the ingredients and taste tested each bite in an effort to discern the items that made this particular recipe so good! When I thought I had finally figured it out I wrote it all down. A few days later, I cooked a big pot of my "new" jambalaya recipe and it was perfect!!! Here it is...


1 pkg chicken thighs
1 pkg pork chops
3 8 – 10” links good quality Pork sausage, sliced (I prefer Manda's)
1 lg onion chopped
3 stalks green onion chopped
4 stalks celery chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
1 stick butter
1/3 cup oil
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cans chicken broth
salt, pepper, Tony’s to taste
3 cups parboiled rice

Remove pork from bone and cut it and chicken into bite size pieces. Season chicken and pork chops with salt and pepper. Melt butter and oil in large pot. Add meats and cook until brown, remove from pot. Add vegetables to pot, cover and cook down. Add seasonings and soup to pot, blend well. Return meats and pan drippings to pot and cook about 5 min. Add rice, blend well and cook another 5 min. Pour in chicken broth and add water to cover 1” above mixture. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer without lifting the lid or stirring again until all rice is cooked and water has evaporated, approximately 40 minutes. Stir again before serving. See Tips and Information on Manda's and parboiled rice.