Jambalaya

Takin' it back to my roots, cher. Now, before you get all fuss and feathers with me, I'm telling you now, this recipe doesn't have any shrimp or okra in it. It's delicious just as it is, and you're gonna love it.

This is Creole jambalaya, and that means tomatoes, and file' gumbo instead of okra.

Creole and cajun cooking's all about usin' what you got on hand, darlin'.

This is also a bit light on the oil, and you can lighten it further by using turkey sausage, which I kind of prefer these days.

Let's get in the kitchen.

Prep: 10 min Cook Time: 1 hr Serves: 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided

• 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning, (or to taste, as much or none, however ya like)

• 10 ounces andouille or smoked sausage, sliced

• 1.5 pounds chicken, 1 inch dice (I use dark meat)

• 2 onions diced

• 1 green bell pepper, diced

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• 4 stalks celery, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes

• 1 tsp salt & pepper

• 1 tsp dried thyme and oregano (or poultry seasoning mix)

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne powder)

• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon file gumbo powder

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice (I love Jasmine or Basmati. If you wanna get really NOLA, use popcorn rice. It's some mighty good, oh ya! #trust)

• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth

• Optional: 1 pound (500 g) sautéed shrimp, tails on or off, peeled & deveined

• chopped green onions and parsley, to garnish

DIRECTIONS:

• in a large pot add 1 tbsp oil and brown the sausage over med-high heat

• remove sausage and set aside

• season the chicken, add to pot and cook through, 6-8 minutes

• remove chicken and set aside

• add the last tbsp of olive oil, add the onion, peppers, and celery and cook until the onions are translucent and just starting to think about browning the edges

• add the garlic, salt, pepper, and let the garlic get happy for a minute

• add the tomatoes, rice, What's-that-here sauce, file' gumbo, thyme or herbs, & red pepper flakes

• bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low and cover with lid

• cook for approx 25 minutes, until the rice is cooked through, stirring every few minutes to keep rice from sticking and burning

• add the chicken and sausage back in (and the cooked shrimp if you choose) and cook to marry the flavors another 6-8 minutes

• serve and top with chopped scallions & parsley

Enjoy, and play some cajun music. Also saying "cher" after most sentences makes everything taste better. This is all true.