Jambalaya

It’s no secret that I love my fellow bloggers and blog friends that I have met during NaBloPoMo. One, of my favorite people in the entire world, Jen Nelson Lane has a very successful blog called Hey Y’all. Jen and I met almost 10 years ago during graduate school at the University of Alabama. Her husband, Marcus Lane, was a great friend of mine all through grad school. The Lanes and I have enough shared history to fill a whole blog on our own, but its a heck of a lot more fun to just string it out a bit. We’ve done lots of things together: most of which include eating. I’ve asked Jen to guest blog for y’all today. If you like what you read, be sure to go visit her on her blog. You will find her on my blogroll! I’ll just tell one quick story, then let Jen take it from here. The Lanes and I vacationed to Key West, Florida once several years back. The purpose of the trip was to escape New York City, have some quality time, and get some Baby’s Coffee. While we were down there, one of our main sources of entertainment was fishing. (This is a constant theme in our shared histories). Anyways. All week, I couldn’t catch a fish to save my life. I also like to consider myself a fisherman. I can remember countless times at Big Bass (our country house) fishing and cooking our catch. But for some reason, I coudn’t catch a fish in Key West to save my life. Well, we had been out fishing all day, everyone caught something but me. Jen and Marcus had to run to the drug store to get more bait, and I stayed there a fishin’. At this point, I threw all caution to the wind and used my Daddy Dan’s (paternal grandfather) old trick. I started screaming “El Fisho!!!”. As a child he told me that the fish would hear you say that and would bite. It worked for him, so I thought it would work for me. Low and behold, I caught a fish. Well, a BARRACUDA. Now if you know anything about barracudas, you know that you can’t just “catch” one. They have very sharp teeth and usualy bite right through the line. I somehow got this thing out of the water, off the hook long enough to pose for a photo with it. I wanted to show it to Jen and Marcus, so I just tossed it into the deep freezer. Jen and Marcus took a couple of pit stops on the way home (like you do in Florida) and the fish froz there in the freezer. When they got back, I took the barracuda out and showed them. After we all laughed about it, and told me that we couldn’t eat it. I did what I thought would make Mama Jean haunt me for life. I threw that “dead” fish back into the water. I was real upset that I had killed it. So I just sat there watching it lay lifeless there in the bottom by the pier. I sat there for a while then the miracle happened. That little ‘cuda thawed out and swam away. I am not kidding you. So I didn’t kill it after all!!!

Now Jen Nelson Lane makes kick-ass Jambalaya. This recipe is the perfect way to use up all that leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. I’m making it tonight, and I hope you will soon, too! Here is Jen’s recipe, and in true Hungry Homo fashion, a story to go along with it! Enjoy, and “Take It Away, Jen!!!” 

I grew up just outside Baton Rouge, Louisiana, so Cajun food has always been a
staple in my family.  My mom perfected her jambalaya recipe early-on and made it as
often as we asked for it.  Now my mom is your typical southern "meat, potatoes and
veggies" cook who always made sure we got our Five-A-Day of fruit and vegetables. 
If you've ever had jambalaya, you know that it's the meal.  That's what you're
having.  Sometimes there might be French bread, but usually, it's a bowl of this
stuff and nothing else.  Well that would just not DO in our house.  My mom would
make a giant batch of jambalaya, which would smell wonderful and starve us all day,
then make us wait to eat dinner until she could warm up a green vegetable or make a
salad.  This is the same woman who would make us wait to eat the KFC we picked up on
the way home from church on Sunday nights until she could warm up a can of green
beans. (They serve green beans there now, so she's
 happy.)

You don't need anything to accompany this jambalaya, unless you just want it.  This
recipe is very "stiff," not soupy.  The rice and meat makes it super-filling.

While this recipe is awesome, my high school cafeteria made the best jambalaya I've
ever tasted.  They made theirs with turkey and smoked sausage and everyone always
went back for seconds.  People hired them to cater parties just so they'd serve
jambalaya.  We had a Fais Do Do each year, which is a traditional Cajun dance, and
the highlight was jambalaya plates FOR A DOLLAR!  I once ate three.

Some people, myself included, like to add some shrimp or crawfish to their
jambalaya.  Feel free to take liberties with the recipe and add whatever you like or
whatever you have in your freezer.  I've had it with turkey after Thanksgiving
(great way to use up your leftovers!), andouille sausage, all kinds of seafood and
alligator.  Season it to your liking--I eat mine hot enough to catch my hair on
fire.  Perfect for a party or a big family dinner.

Laissez les bon temps roulez!

CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE JAMBALAYA 

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed

1 package smoked sausage, sliced

2 cups uncooked rice

4 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped (or 1 tsp celery seed or celery salt)

Cajun seasoning to taste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Louisiana or Tobasco Hot Sauce to taste

Boil chicken and reserve broth.  Cube chicken.  Heat vegetable oil in heavy saucepan
or dutch oven.  Add onions, garlic, bell pepper and celery.  Saute until
transparent.  Add rice and chicken broth.  Bring to boil.  Add chicken, sausage and
Cajun seasoning and Worcestershire sauce.  Cover and simmer until rice is tender and
liquid is absorbed, about 20 to 30 minutes.  Shrimp may be used in place of  or in
addition to chicken.  Serve with salad and French bread. (My mom added that last
sentence, could you tell?)