Weekend Cooking is a meme from Beth Fish Reads to be found HERE.
Today has been a good foodie day – started with lunch after a hard morning shopping. Sat in the back yard with:
- a delish pate (from Wegman’s not homemade this time)
- fresh bread
- soft, creamy brie
- olives
- Jersey Peach wine (actually a very nice tasting white, has a peach scent but doesn’t taste of peaches)
Basically ignored the chores calling to me and sat with a book and my mom and read.
Dragged myself in from the lounger in the sun and started to make dinner. My daughter had been bugging me for Jambalaya and so I used my Epicurious App and it spat out this recipe from the March 2011 Bon Appetit magazine credited to Anna Beth and Vince Chao.
Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 12 ounces applewood-smoked bacon, diced
- 1 1/2 pounds smoked fully cooked sausage (such as linguiça), halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick semi-circles
- 1 pound andouille sausages, quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 pound tasso or smoked ham (such as Black Forest), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 pounds onions, chopped (4 to 5 cups)
- 2 large celery stalks, chopped
- 1 8- to 10-ounce red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
- 1 8- to 10-ounce green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
- 6 large skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (or more) cayenne pepper
- 3 10-ounce cans diced tomatoes and green chiles
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth
- 3 cups (19 to 20 ounces) long-grain white rice
- 8 green onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
- Chopped fresh Italian parsley
Preparation
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Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Cook bacon in very large pot over medium-high heat until brown but not yet crisp, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes. Add smoked sausage, andouille, and tasso. Sauté until meats start to brown in spots, about 10 minutes. Add onions, celery, and bell peppers. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Mix in chicken. Cook until outside of chicken turns white, stirring often, 5 to 6 minutes. Mix in paprika, thyme, chili powder, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. Cook 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes with chiles and broth; stir to blend well. Add more cayenne, if desired. Mix in rice.
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Bring jambalaya to boil. Cover pot. Place in oven and bake until rice is tender and liquids are absorbed, 45 to 48 minutes. Uncover pot. Mix chopped green onions into jambalaya; sprinkle jambalaya with chopped parsley and serve.
My family really liked it, but it made tons of food and there are only four of us. The flavors all melded well together and the consistency was near to perfect. I gave it an extra 10 minutes to get the rice the right consistency, but that may have only been my oven. It can be a little tempermental. I don’t think it will freeze well with the rice in it, so I guess it is lunch for tomorrow as well.
The Angry Grey Cat Reads 
oh my, that sounds good. I have never made jambalaya but this sounds fairly direct. and yes, would make lovely leftovers.
BTW as to “Basically ignored the chores calling to me and sat with a book..” Excellent
I had never made jambalaya either, but this was a pretty easy recipe to start with. Some of the others I have seen have many more ingredients.
I’ve made a recipe similar to this before. Very tasty!
I have made similar type recipes but never one that was called a jambalaya. Very good and reheated well the next day.
I think cooked rice in a dish like that will freeze fine. But I wouldn’t mind jambalaya for Sunday lunch.:)
We ended up having it on Sunday as leftovers. Everyone had things to do and so were in and out all day. It worked out well because then they could just eat when they were free.
A perfect day, I think!
It was certainly enjoyable. I love the “at home” free days almost more than days we go out and do things, especially in the summer.
The last time I made jambalaya was with my mother as sous chef, and we did make up a LOT of food. The good news is that the flavors will blend together and it’ll be even more delicious tomorrow! Your recipe looks fabulous.
I have had very good luck with the recipes from the Epicurious App.
Hi Betti,
Your ‘Al Fresco’ lunch sounds like the perfect way to spend a weekend day, the chores will still be there another day.
Yvonne
That is what I thought as well 🙂
My very first thought was–wonder if I could freeze this! I’ve actually been looking for a jambalaya recipe and this sounds absolutely delicious. I’m also going to check out the epicurious app! I have actually frozen rice before (when I was making baby food for my daughter) but it was always in really small quantities.
Your day sounds lovely. Especially the brie, which I can’t currently eat. 😉
We actually ended up eating it for leftovers the next day, which worked out well because everyone was in and out at different times and they could just eat when they were home. I have always found that rice goes a little grainy or can get a weird texture when frozen..maybe that is just me.
The epicurious app is free and awesome. I use it quite a bit.