With this year's Super Bowl being held once again in the New Orleans Superdome, if you're hosting a party it seems only fitting to have an all Cajun/Creole menu this year.
Jambalaya is a Creole dish with Spanish and French origins. While most meats are acceptable to use for the dish, sausage and seafood are the preferred selections. It's great as an appetizer or as a main course.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil (Castelas is my favorite)
- ½ lb. smoked sausage, cut into ¼-inch thick slices (Sunset Farms is local to Atlanta)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped celery
- ½ tsp. Cajun seasoning, or to taste
- 1 cup uncooked white rice
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 Tbsp. minced garlic (about 2 cloves fresh garlic)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3 bay leaves
- ¼ tsp. dried thyme leaves
- 1 lb. peeled and deveined medium shrimp (I suggest Sweet Savannah Shrimp)
- Kosher salt to taste (Morton Salt is preferred)
Directions:
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat.
- Stir in the sausage, and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery; season with salt and Cajun seasoning. Cook for about 6-8 minutes (the vegetables should be soft by now) and stir continuously.
- Stir in the rice and make sure it is evenly coated in the vegetable mixture
- Add the tomatoes with juice, garlic, chicken broth, bay leaves, and thyme leaves.
- Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
- Uncover pot and stir in the shrimp and cook for about 10 minutes. The shrimp need to turn pink with no translucent center.
- Remove the pot from the heat, and let stand for about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves before serving.
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