The days are getting shorter- and the rain keeps
coming down. The nights are cool- sometimes down-right
nippy. The rose bushes are still hard at work, putting out
little buds that may never bloom- there is a killing frost
on the way.
It’s time for Jambalaya- Spicy and warm- tummy filling-
sensory overloaded Jambalaya with ham and sausage and
plump white shrimp.
(I keep the shrimp separate because my husband doesn’t like it.)
Ingredients:
1 ham bone with ham still on it.
1 pkg. shrimp (medium 31-40 pieces)
5 HOT sausage links- cut into smaller pieces ( Andouille or Chorizo- or even Hot Italian or Hungarian)
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 green pepper,diced (or hot peppers if you can handle it!)
1/2 tsp dried thyme- ground
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
2-3 cloves garlic crushed
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 cup water
2 TBS chopped parsley
A couple of good shakes of Cajun spice seasoning
( or tabasco sauce or cayenne pepper)
3 or 4 TBS olive oil
2-3 TBS butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method:
Pour a few good slurps of olive oil in a large pan, add the butter and
heat until butter is melted, not browned.
Sautee up the shrimp with the crushed garlic- one layer at a time until the
shrimp are pink. Using a slotted spoon, take out the shrimp and put in a bowl
to cool so that you can take off the shell later. Leave behind the butter and
juices to sautee onion, green pepper and celery until soft, then add the ham
bone and sausages and simmer until sausages lose their pink and add the
diced tomatoes. Then add the water, cover and let the whole mess simmer
for about 45 minutes on low, stirring occasionally.
Add spices and herbs, checking on the liquid so that the ham is surrounded by
sauce. Leave to simmer another 20 to 30 minutes- then tear or slice off ham pieces
about the same size as sausage pieces.
Add cleaned shrimp for another 10 minutes of simmer time, and serve next to
or on top of pasta or rice- or next to some dirty rice.
Dirty rice is made up of :
rice, onions-red and white,sausage, ground beef,celery,green peppers,chopped giblets,
garlic,tabasco sauce,chicken broth,smoky paprika,cumin,parsley,cayenne pepper,and
anything else your palate desires!
Jambalaya- with shrimp- it’s good eating Spring- Summer-Winter-or FALL!
And it’s what we’re having for dinner tonight.
Add some good cornbread for dipping in the sauce- it’s comfort food all around!
Jambalaya… just the name alone sounds enticing. I ate this once in the US, but don’t remember how it tasted. Maybe it wasn’t memorable, or maybe I’m just getting old 🙂
It’s hard to believe you’re coming up to frost time again. I t doesn’t seem that long ago your garden was full of lovely snow. Enjoy your beautiful autumn Heidi.
Thanks Brydie!
I love Cajun cooking- if it was good jambalaya it was SPICY and jam packed with flavors!
All the ingredients marry in the long cook and then bite back gently as you eat them.
Autumn is so rainy this year that the leaves are turning and falling at almost the same time. No glorious sun filled shows of bright yellow, red and orange to hang onto! But the air is crisp and the the fall fragrances are there- so I’m not complaining!
Did Jordan enjoy the Jambalaya? How did Frank like it? It sounds good. When Clarice opened the container there was a delicious aroma. Happy you enjoyed it.
Jordan loved it. Frank ate it without complaining. It was VERY good. I liked it way much. Thanks.
Heidi, this is one of the recipes I always wanted to make but never have! And the dirty rice sounds absolutely wonderful!
I love this- in fact- I don’t make paella as often as I’d like because Frank really hates seafood- and because I can spoon off his portion before I add the cooked shrimp- we can all eat the “same” dish. It is meaty but also so wonderfully spicy and flavorful- and if you add the dirty rice – it is almost flavor overload.
Yes, this is one of my favorite dishes- and I love Cajun cooking!
I first heard about jambalaya in one of Carpenter’s hits in the 1970s. Karen Carpenter remains one of my all time faves and I always get a little teary eyed when I think about her and how beautiful her voice is, When my friends were listening to Earth Wind & Fire, I was the nerd listening to Carpenters when growing up in the 70s.
Your hubby doesn’t like shrimp???? Are you kdding? Is he allergic to it or he just doesn’t like it? The Sydney fish market sells like a few tonnes of that over Christmas and we can’t imagine if we didn’t have cooked prawns on the table or throwing a few over the barbie during Christmas! Do you get yours whole and then cook them and peel them yourself or you buy the precooked cutlets? We love our prawns and the shells make a really beautiful stock
LOL! I understand your incredulity at not liking shrimp- but we come from the landlocked midwestern part of America, and here for many years, shrimp has been a delicacy rather than a staple of our diets. When I add shrimp to our meal- only half of the group will eat it. But that isn’t all bad because those of us who DO like it get an enormous share!
I always get mine whole and cook and peel them myself. I also buy whole chickens rather than pieces or (shudder) boneless and skinless! I want to make the stock and get the whole flavor from my foods! I’ve never understood the appeal of paying more for getting less- the peeled, boneless, skinless always costs so much more!