Recipe - Jambalaya Franks Cajun

One half cup Bacon drippings
OR margarine
1 pound Smoked sausage minced
One half pound Andouille minced
(Polish Can be
substituted)
One half pound Tasso
One half pound Bacon crumbled
2 cup Chicken julienned
OR julienned turkey
2 lg Onions coarsely chopped
1 md Bell pepper chopped
6 Ribs celery coarsely
chopped
4 Clove garlic finely minced
3 cup Rice long grain
16 ounce Rotel tomatoes and hot
peppers
2 cup Beef stock
2 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet
One half teaspoon Thyme
2 teaspoon Chili powder
black pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
salt to taste
2 pound Shrimp peeled
12 Green onions cut or sliced up
One half cup Parsley minced

To make a really good pot of jambalaya, you're going to need a
wellseasoned black cast iron Dutch oven with a tightfitting lid. And for
this recipe, an 8quart pot is perfect!

So take the pot, put it on the burner over high heat, and pour in the bacon
drippings (or margarine). Then toss in the smoked sausage, andouille,
tasso, and crumbled bacon and stirfry the meats until the smoked sausage
turns light brown (it should take about 8 minutes or so).

Now, drop in the julienned chicken and stirfry it until every strip loses
its translucency (turns white). Then immediately add the onions, bell
pepper, celery and garlic, and reduce the heat to mediumhigh, and cook the
vegetables until they soften.

At this point, pour in the rice. And you want to stir it thoroughly into
the seasoning vegetables and meats until every single grain is moistened
about 4 to 5 minutes.

Next, add the tomatoes, beef stock, Kitchen Bouquet, thyme and chili
powder, blend everything together well, and bring the mixture to a slow
boil. When this happens, taste the liquids and season the dish to taste
with salt, black and cayenne pepper. Just remember that you're going to
have to season it a little on the "heavy side" because the rice will absorb
much of the seasonings as it cooks, and you still have a couple pounds of
shrimp to mix in. *So be sure to taste carefully!* [I'd definitely add
Tabasco for flavor, too.]

When everything is just right, reduce the heat as low as it will go, put
the lid on the pot, and simmer the jambalaya for about an hour. This "slow
cooking" process allows each grain of rice to cook evenly, puff properly,
and pick up the combination of flavors. If the heat is too high, the rice
will stick to the bottom of the pot and turn mushy.

Then when the jambalaya is done, about 5 minutes before you're ready to
eat, stir in the raw shrimp, green onions, and parsley, put the lid back on
the pot, and continue to simmer the jambalaya over *low heat* until the
shrimp turn pink.

I suggest that before you serve the dish, you fluff the rice slightly. I
also suggest that you serve the dish alongside crispy butter French bread
and icecold beer.

CHEF'S HINTS: 1. Under no circumstances should you remove the cover from
the pot during the slowcooking process. If you do, you'll release steam
you need to cook the rice. Your rice will turn out hard in the center and
your jambalaya will be dry instead of moist. Don't peek in the pot! 2. If
you don't feel that your stovetop will cook the jambalaya slowly enough,
put the cover on the pot (after you mix the liquids in), set your oven at
300F, put the pot into the oven, and bake the dish for about 45 minutes. It
will come out perfect!

From "Frank Davis Cooks Naturally N'Awlins" by Frank Davis.

From Michelle Bass From: Rich Harper Date: 12 Feb 94

From: Dale Shipp Date: 031894

Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #641 by thelma@pipeline.com on Jun 07, 1997