Jambalaya Tuesday

When it's cold outside my family craves comfort food. Tonight I felt like taking a dinner trip away from the icy Midwest to somewhere in the Creole part of the country. I made our version of Jambalaya. Jambalaya Purists may not agree with my ingredient choices or of the methods, but our appetites were satiated for sure.

Ingredients:
12 or so Shrimp - peeled and shelled (the 41-60 per pound size)
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts - cubed roughly 1-1.5 inches
1/2 Kielbasa (or smoked sausage, anduille, chorizo, etc. whatever you have and like)
1 can diced tomatoes (12.5 oz I think it was)
1/2 large sweet onion cut into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces
1/2 chopped green pepper
1 large clove of garlic - minced
a few Bay leaves
1 T or so of Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup or so of long grain rice
2 cans chicken stock
1-2 teaspoon vinegar (I used Apple Cider Vinegar)
2 Tablespoons or so of Olive Oil

Seasoning for meat:
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons oregano

Step 1: Veggies
Pour olive oil into a warm-hot pan
add onion and green peppers. cook 1-2 minutes - until they are barely soft
Add garlic - cook 1 minute. Do Not Scorch The Garlic!
Dump in the can of tomatoes with juice, Apple Cider Vinegar and Worcestershire Sauce. Cook another minute or so
Add rice. Cook a minute or 2. Stir
Add chicken stock. Simmer while preparing meats.

Step 2: Chicken
Toss cut up chicken with 1/3 of the seasoning
Lightly brown in an oiled sautee pan
Stir partially cooked chicken to simmering rice mixture

Step 3: Shrimp
Toss thawed peeled shrimp in 1/3 seasoning mix
Cook 1 minute per side in the chicken pan just to being pinkish..
Stir partially cooked shrimp into simmering rice

Step 4: Sausage
Toss sliced sausage in remaining seasoning mix
Fry in the same pan until slightly golden
Stir sausage into the simmering rice.

After about 20 minutes the rice part should be done. Take a taste of the rice for doneness. If your rice takes longer to cook, then allow the mix to simmer until the rice is fully cooked.

Scoop into bowls and enjoy. B says this would go well with an ice cold beer.

This recipe made enough for 2 adults for dinner and a couple of lunches - probably 6-8 servings.

We cleansed our palates tonight with lemon curd and cream crepes.
Ingredients:
2 crepes (made last night. See yesterday's post for details)
2 Tablespoons of Lemon Curd
3/4-1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip cream, sugar and vanilla to soft peaks.
Gently mix lemon curd with 2/3 of the whipped cream mixture
Spread 1/2 of mix onto middle of each crepe. Roll up burrito style. Top with a dollop of whipped cream.
Enjoy