Recipe of the Month

Jambalaya

Mmmm!  This is good eats!  I tried this one in December and couldn't wait to make it again!  It makes a lot so either I had to wait until we had guests or just have a ton of leftovers.  I couldn't wait anymore.  Now my fridge is packed with delicious, delicious Jambalaya.  The best part about making this is that it's practically fool-proof!  You basically just throw everything into a pot.  The prep work is what takes the longest.  Here's what you'll need:

2 Tbl butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 ribs of celery, chopped

1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Heat a large pot, or Dutch oven on medium and melt the butter.  Saute the veggies until they're tender.  About 5-7 minutes.  Add the following:

1 Andouille sausage (12 oz.), diced

2 cans (14.5 oz. each) diced tomatoes, undrained.  I like the kind with jalepenos in it.

1 1/4 cup beef broth

1 cup uncooked rice (I used regular white rice but you can use brown or long grain)

1 cup water

Stir it up and then add the spices*.

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Stir it up and bring to a boil.  Then reduce the heat, cover and let it simmer until the rice is cooked, about 20 - 25 minutes.  Now add:

1/2 lb of fully cooked shrimp.  

I used a little more than a half a 16 oz bag of medium sized frozen shrimp.  Also, I get the kind that has been peeled.  You can get the uncooked kind and peel and devein and cook it a little longer in the pot until pink, but who needs the hassle when you're so close to having this in your belly!

Finally, top it with:

1 Tb parsley, fresh is best, but I use dried because I'm lazy and sick of chopping by this time.

Cook, uncovered, until the shrimp are heated through, about 5 minutes.  Eat it with sliced french bread to soak up the juice.  So good, it'll make you wanna slap yo' mama!

*If you really want to bring the heat add some cayenne pepper as well.  I think the andouille sausage has enough bite to it, but to each his own.