On a side note, I could not think of how fiending is correctly spelled, so I checked it out via Google, and guess what? The word "feening" is misused by my generation. According to Urban Dictionary, people born after 1977 tend to say feen, while the correct word is fiend. I never knew that.
Bringing it all back to jambalaya, I tried something a little different this time. My mom always made it with Zataran's Jambalaya mix, which got me wondering, what is in jambalaya?
It turns out, this dish is a fusion of Spanish and French cuisine. It actually calls for canned tomato paste or canned tomatoes with sauce in order to give it the dirty color. I had fresh tomatoes going bad, so I chopped up a cup of those and the rest is dinner history.
I made this for 2 people, hoping for a little leftover for tomorrow. Trevor had 2 bowls and there is still an insane amount left for lunch and dinner the next day. So plan on Cajun for a few days unless you have great ideas of how to change this up.
I recommend serving this with a crisp ale or something similar. We actually had ours with a glass of Gruet. Nothing says Cajun like a crisp glass of Champagne. Happy Thursday.
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Yellow Onion
2 Roma Tomatoes (or 4 smaller ones, mine were large)
4 cloves Garlic
4 Stalks Celery
2 Tbs Cajun Seasoning
1 Cup Chicken Broth
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Long Grain White Rice (I buy this in bulk at WhF)
1 Can Red Beans, drained
1 Cup Pink Florida Shrimp, cooked, peeled, rinsed very well
1 Cup Pederson's Natural Farms Jalapeno Pork Sausage, fully cooked
Chop all your vegetables to a similar size.
Heat a dutch oven or stock pot, add a TBS vegetable oil, and then add these Pepper, Celery, Onion, Garlic, Tomatoes, and allow to sweat for a few minutes.
Add Cajun Seasoning, stir with a wooden spoon, then slowly pour in the rice.
Stir the dry, uncooked rice in with the vegetable mix for a good minute. Slowly stir in broth and water. Bring this to a boil.
Bring the pot down to a simmer, cover, and allow to cook for 20 minutes.
Add in Sausage, Shrimp, and Red Beans, cover again, and let simmer for five minutes.
And do NOT forget to check out Tastings, where you can learn of the importance of Pinot Noir, Albuquerque, and the champagne method.
