I love the food of New Orleans, with all its porky,
deep-fried goodness. If you doubt that, read this.
But, there are ways to lighten up the traditional New Orleans dishes, while keeping them deeply savory and swoon-worthy. If you're getting ready for your Mardi Gras party next week, here's your recipe: Spicy Andouille, Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya. Yes, it's healthy. But, very good. Even better, you can make it ahead (it's better that way!) so you can throw masks and beads to your guests instead of slaving over the stove.
It's a pretty simple recipe, not much different than
making a soup or a stew. But, there are a few tricks.
First, be sure
and brown your chicken and sausages first, before you add the onions, celery
and carrots. Get them even more brown than this.
Add all of the aromatics to the pot, scraping up those
brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, to release the flavor.
Add the spices to the vegetables, allowing them to
'fry' in the olive oil. The air should smell toasty and spicy.
Once you add the rice, you need to let it cook for
about one-and-a-half hours. The brown rice just takes that long to absorb
enough liquid and get tender. Don't skimp on time.
Finally, don't add the shrimp until the very last
minute. If you make this the day before, don't add the shrimp until you serve
it. Just reheat (adding water if necessary) and then add the shrimp and cook
until just done. Otherwise, the shrimp will be rubbery and overcooked.
Finally, enjoy, preferably with the people who bring
joy to your life. Laissez les bon temps roulez!
Spicy Andouille, Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya
Serves 6
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 links of
andouille sausage
3 boneless,
skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, diced
3 stalks
celery, diced
1 large red bell
pepper, diced
2 garlic
cloves, minced
1 teaspoons
smoked paprika
1/8 - ¼
teaspoon cayenne pepper, depending upon how spicy you want it
1 teaspoon
dried oregano
½ teaspoon
dried thyme
¼ teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 ½ cups
medium grain brown rice, rinsed well
1 cup beer
(like a lager or ale)
2 cups
homemade chicken stock or water
1, 14.5 ounce
can of whole fire-roasted tomatoes with juice, tomatoes torn in pieces
3 - 4
scallions, sliced
Sea salt, to
taste
½ pound fresh
shrimp, peeled and deveined
Heat a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high
heat. Add one tablespoon of
olive oil and sausage slices. Cook
the sausage until well-browned. Remove sausage from pan and reserve. Add chicken thighs, in one layer,
being sure not to crowd the pan. Cook
until deeply browned on each side. Remove
and add to sausage. Set
aside.
Reduce the heat to medium. To the pot, add the onion, celery,
bell pepper and a little sea salt (about ½ teaspoon), cooking until the onions
are translucent, and scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits
from the sausage and chicken. Add
the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the spices (paprika through black
pepper). Cook for several
minutes, until the vegetables are completely coated with the spices and it
begins to smell toasty. Add
the rice and cook for a few minutes, until rice is also coated with spices.
Add the bay leaf, chicken stock or water and tomatoes.
Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt
if necessary. Stir in the
sausage and chicken. Cover
pot and simmer for about 1 ½ hours, or until the rice is completely cooked
through and tender. Check
the liquid after about 40 minutes to make sure it hasn't cooked down too much.
If it seems dry, add another half cup to a cup of stock or water. When rice is fully cooked, add the
shrimp and simmer, uncovered, a few minutes or until shrimp are just cooked
through. Remove the
sausages and slice into 1 inch pieces, on the diagonal. Garnish with sliced green onions.
