What goes better with jalapeno'd and honeyed cornbread muffins? Jambalaya!
Who is going to give you the most awesome way to make Jambalaya without burning the rice on the bottom of the pan, or destroying the ingredients from over-stirring when you're trying not to burn the rice on the bottom? ME!
In the effort to be plainly clear that I refuse to plagiarize -- I did get the actual "baking the jambalaya in the oven" idea from Anna Beth and Vince Chao seen in Bon Appetit, March 2011. Their recipe called for chicken thighs. I found that really sorta gross and distracting a flavor, but because it's jambalaya you can throw in any kind of meat you want. Do what you need to! Just make sure you follow the liquid-to-rice ratio, or you'll have problems.
"Hard to Screw Up Jambalaya"
3/4lb (12oz) bacon, diced
1.5lbs smoked sausage. I typically use Polska Kielbasa. Pedro likes Portuguese Linguica. Mix em up! Beer brats actually taste pretty good, too. So basically 1.5lbs of any smoked sausage. Half them, then thin-slice so you have 1/4-1/2" thick half-circles.
1lb Andouille sausages, half them and slice.
1lb smoked ham. Any kind will do. Cube the ham into 1/4" cubes.
The New Orleans trinity:
4 medium white or yellow onions, chopped
3 large celery stalks, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
Herbs and spices:
2.5TBSP Paprika (if you are using REAL paprika from Hungary <dad> dial that back a bit or it'll over power the dish -- maybe 1.5TBSP)
1 TBSP fresh Thyme, pulled from stem, and chopped to release flavors. OR 1tsp dry thyme leaves (not powder, if all you have is thyme powder, go for only 1/2tsp).
1.5TBSP Chili Powder (Trader Joes makes the best, just sayin')
Cayenne -- for non-spicy, got with only 1/4tsp. Our family typically uses and likes a full teaspoon. If you like your Jambalaya extra spicy? Go for 1&1/2tsp Cayenne. But be careful!
3 (10oz) cans chopped tomatoes. For better flavor over-all, get the chopped tomatoes with diced green chilies.
2.5 cups water.
1 well rounded Tablespoons Better than Bouillon Beef Flavor. Or Granules enough to make 2.5 cups water into beef broth. Or use 2.5 cups beef broth and skip the water. However, I still have not found a better flavor for any broth than Better than Bouillon.
3 cups long grain white rice.
1 bunch green onions/scallions
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
1/2lb shrimp (deveined and peeled) or crawfish (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Move highest rack to bottom of your oven and preheat to 350F.
In a LARGE Dutch Oven or metal pot with a lid, brown your bacon to a nice crisp on the stove top over medium-high heat. DO NOT DRAIN! Add your sausages and ham, stirring occasionally, until the meats have nice little brown spots, about 10 minutes. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers. Again, stir until onions are soft and the peppers have nice little brown spots, another 10-15 minutes. Mix in all your herbs and spices, coating the meats and veggies well, cook about 1 minute. Add the canned tomatoes with green chilies and incorporate. Finally add your water and bouillon. Stir to blend it all up nicely. Give it a little taste and see if you need more cayenne. Add your rice. Turn the heat up to high and wait until the jambalaya mix starts boiling in multiple spots. Turn off the stove heat, place lid on your pot and carefully move the covered pot to preheated oven. Bake in 350 oven for 45 minutes -- no more than 48 minutes! In the meantime chop your green onions, prepare your shrimp or boil your crawfish. Make your honey-jalapeno-corn-muffin batter and prep your pan!
When you pull your jambalaya out of the oven, stir in seafood and green onions. Re-cover the pot while your cornbread bakes. At serving, sprinkle the jambalaya with fresh chopped parsley, and enjoy your perfectly baked, non-burned, pot of New Orleans DELISH! With Cornbread!
(This post is dedicated to my friend Jon A. Acuna Miller, who
hails from the deepest, most jambalayin' parts of Louisiana, and who, like me, couldn't figure out how not to
burn the damn rice on the bottom of the pot! Here's to us and non-burned-rice, Jon!)
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