Here is Justin Wilson's recipe for Jambalaya, which is similar to how I make it, but I have not written mine down yet. I will post again after I compose my own recipe - I now use a pressure cooker to make mine. Do you have one of those, or do you need a stovetop method?

Lars

Here is a link that might be useful: Justin Wilson's Shrimp Creole video

Linda, like yours, my jambalaya comes out muddy brown and ugly, although it tastes OK.

I'm just happy to see you here again!

Annie

Lars, I do have a pressure cooker. The recipes I have tried are very similar to the one at the link you posted, however they included tomato, which I do like in my Jambalaya. I wonder if I maybe removed the vegetables and added them back in at the end if that might help?

Thanks Annie, I do pop in and read every once in a while, just haven't done much posting lately. Hope all is well with you. (There may be a trip to Michigan in my 2015 future, I'll let you know if it pans out.)

Linda

Some from Louisiana might claim my recipe isn't authentic enough, since I choose to cook the rice separately and then serve the Jambalaya over the rice, rather than cooking it all together, but it make it easier to ensure both the rice and the Jambalaya are cooked to perfection.

Since I was cooking the recipe for a large group, many of whom didn't like spicy food, the below as-made recipe is milder than I otherwise would have made, but the result was delicious, and was easily spiced up at the table with tobasco sauce.

JAMBALAYA
(serves about 20?)

2 lb Chicken Breast (3/4" cubes)
1 lb Honey Ham (1/2" dice)
1 lb Hot-Italian Sausage (de-skinned and broken into pieces)
2/3 lb Andouille-style smoked sausage
2 lb uncooked shrimp (cleaned, de-shelled, and de-tailed, cut into thirds)
2 large sweet yellow onions chopped into 3/4" square pieces
2 red bell peppers (remove stems, seeds and membranes and cut into 1" by 1" pieces)
2 yellow bell peppers
4 cups of rice
2 large cans diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato paste
Olive oil
10 cloves garlic
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper blend (ground)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 shakes Tobasco sauce
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp chopped parsley

In one large pan, cook onion in olive oil, add thyme and 3 cloves of garlic (chopped) until onion starts to turn translucent, then add bell peppers and cook another 10 minutes or so.

In a different large pan, cook chicken and hot Italian sausage until both are lightly browned and mostly cooked.
Empty both pans into large pot. Stir in tomatoes (including water from tomato cans) and the tomato paste. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to a simmer and stir well.

In the chicken pan, cook Andouille and ham over medium heat for 10 minutes, then add to large pot. Crush remaining garlic and other spices except parsley into large pot to suit taste.

Cook rice separately while continuing to simmer large pot. When rice is done, remove large pot from heat and add shrimp stirring until it is cooked.

Serve over rice, adding tobasco to taste, top with a pinch of parsley.

Bob, that's how I make jambalaya too -- with the rice separate. I ate it for the first time at a little barbecue restaurant in the Bay area and fell in love with it. They served the rice separately, so that's what I've always done. I think it heats up better. Less gummy.

I've prepared this recipe many times.

Smoked Sausage Jambalaya

Ingredients
1/2 pound Smithfield Smoked Sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 1/2 cups water
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 beef bouillon cubes, crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup long-grain rice
1/2 to 3/4 pound medium, fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined.
Steps
In a Dutch oven add water, tomatoes, tomato sauce. Add dry ingredients, smoked sausage and rice. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until shrimp are pink. You do not want to overcook the shrimp.

A tip : Never cook the shrimp before you add it to the jambalaya. You want all of the wonderful shrimp flavors to cook into your jambalaya and cooking it before would make the shrimp overcooked (rubbery). Shrimp cooks so quickly, it is best to add it at the last few minutes.

This may not be Jambalaya, but it is similar, and I made it last night. The Tabasco chilies in my yard were hotter than I expected (or maybe it was the Serrano chilies), and it would have been milder if I had used just one Habanero instead of the combination of chilies.

Lars' Cajun Chicken and Sausage Rice - Pressure Cooker Method

1-1/8 cups Basmati rice
1-1/8 cup water or chicken stock
2 tbsp tomato powder (or tomato paste)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 red (or green) bell pepper, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 fresh, ripe Tabasco chilies*
2 fresh, ripe Serrano chilies*
1 fresh, ripe Jalapeno chili*
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp basil
1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt, to taste

1 cooked Italian sausage, cut into small pieces**
1 large cooked chicken breast, deboned, skinned, and cut into 1/4” pieces

Rinse the rice in a strainer and put in a pressure cooker without draining completely - it should go straight into the pan after you turn off the faucet.

Microwave the water for 40 seconds and add the tomato powder (or paste) and stir to dissolve. Pour this over the rice and add the rest of the ingredients except the cooked sausage and cooked chicken. Stir together so that the onion bits are broken up and evenly distributed. Install cover, set controls for pressure cooking, and put on high heat for 5-7 minutes, or until indicator valve pops up. Reduce heat to simmer, and continue cooking for seven more minutes. Turn heat off, and allow pressure to go down (approximately 7 more minutes).

Open top, add cooked chicken and sausage, and stir to fluff rice. Cover again, and allow to rest for 3-4 minutes, for chicken to get heated. Do not return to the burner, or else the rice will stick/burn.

Serves 4-6.

*You can use a different combination of chilies for heat - one Habanero chili would give about the same amount of heat, or you can use 1/4 tsp Cayenne or hot sauce to taste. Fresh chilies give the best flavor.

**You can use uncooked sausage and add it to the uncooked rice and cook it that way. The chicken should be cooked before adding, but you can saute it partially and then add it to the uncooked rice to finish cooking it. I use smoked chicken breast and smoked sausage

Lars

This message got duplicated, and so I removed the duplicate recipe.

Lars

Here are some chilies from my yard. I have several more pots of them, and they continue to make chilies constantly, throughout the year. I planted way too many Habaneros, as they are very prolific. One plant is more than three years old.

This post was edited by publickman on Tue, Feb 3, 15 at 20:53

Emeril's recipe looks good and I trust his recipes. However, as of this thread, I now know exactly what Andouille sausage is, and, No Thank You!

From what I've read, Andouille sausage in the US is made from " pork, garlic, pepper, onions, wine, and seasonings" which doesn't sound too bad. However Andouille in France contains "pig chitterlings, tripe, onions, wine and seasoning" which I think I will politely decline.

I think the muddy end result is using a sausage unlike the heavily 'red' spiced southern NewOrleans sausages....Taso and andouille. Polish kielbasa will work but you need to add a bit of smoked paprika, cumin, chipotle powder maybe? and a bit of turmeric. Even a mix of that with a bit of rich mustard and a bit of vinegar/soy sauce as a 6-12 hour marinade/brine for the chicken. ...?
Many NewOrleans rice dishes are served over rice. And most jambalayas are stirred in just before serving...or a an hour before. (a firm cooked rice)...in most restaurants.
It has been some time, but i did work for a season in the FrenchQuarter at the Gumbo Shop in NewOrleans.
NO was home for a few years and where DH and i met...

We don't really eat that way anymore. But do adapt similar flavors in our rotation cooking favorites.