Jambalaya

Main Course

Serves 4

Recipe courtesy of Louisiana Kitchen & Culture magazine

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons salt butter
4 cups onion, chopped
2/3 cup green pepper, chopped
1/3 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
1 lb lean pork, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 cup baked ham, finely chopped
6 Creole smoked sausage, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1½ cup long grain rice
3 cups rich beef stock
2½ teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 whole bay leaves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon cloves.

Jambalaya

Click image to enlarge

Method:

In a heavy 8 quart kettle melt the butter over low heat. Add all the vegetables, parsley, pork, and ham and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables and meat are browned.

Add the sausage and seasonings and continue cooking and stirring over low heat for another 5 minutes.

Add the rice and beef stock (water can be substituted for beef stock, rich flavor will suffer). Mix well and raise heat to high and bring to a boil.
Cover pot, turn heat to very low and cook 45 minutes, uncovering only to stir to keep from sticking.

Uncover pot during last 10 minutes of cooking, raise heat to medium to allow rice to finish and dry out, stirring frequently.
Serve immediately.

Note: if you need to stretch your budget and feed a few more mouths, double the amount of liquid and rice.