Authentic Cajun Jambalaya Food

CLASSIC CAJUN JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• Prepare all your ingredients and set aside in their own small bowls: Cube all your meats; chop the veggies-you want about 5 to 6 cups all together; chop your garlic.
• Mix the herb and spice blend (except the salt which you should add separately) in a bowl; set aside.
• In a cast-iron Dutch oven or other heavy pot with a lid, melt the bacon grease over medium heat. Brown the cubed pork for 15 to 20 minutes, carefully scraping the brown sticky bits off the bottom as it cooks.
• After about 20 minutes add the sausage and brown with the pork. Continue to scrap the bottom of the pan. Brown the pork and sausage together for about 10 minutes, rendering as much of the fat as possible.
• Add the chicken to the pork and sausage in the dutch oven. Turn up the heat just a bit as the chicken will start to lose its water. Keep stirring. After 10 to 15 minutes you should have a nice batch of browned meat and some grease in the pot.
• Add the veggies to the dutch oven with the meat; stir until they are mixed well with the meats. You want them to cook down and begin to caramelize. Brown for about 15 minutes, stirring as needed not to let them scorch on the bottom of the pan. After about 15 minutes add the garlic and stir until aromatic-about 2 minutes or so. Add about half of the Herb and Spice Blend and some kosher salt, stir it up good.
• Now you will add the stock. Start with just about a cup or so at first and use it to deglaze the bottom. Add the parsley and about half the remaining Herb and Spice Blend-save a little to add at the end if you think you need it. Now add the remaining stock and bring to a steady simmer for 15 minutes, uncovered.
• After 15 minutes add the rice, stir together and return to a full boil before reducing the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot tightly and cook on low for a total of 30 minutes. Do not uncover the pot except one time-at the 15 minute mark to stir the jambalaya completely-scrapping off the bottom so it does not scorch; replace the lid to cover tightly.
• After 30 minutes (15 minutes after you stirred) taste it-it's done if the rice is cooked. If all of the stock has not been absorbed, cook it a little more uncovered; if all the stock has been absorbed but it's not quite cooked, add a little of the stock you reserved and cook it covered another 5 minutes or so. Keep checking like this and it will be done.

CAJUN JAMBALAYA (AUTHENTIC)

Steps:

• Bring large pot of water to boil and add corn.
• Cook for 15 minutes
• Reserve water.
• Using same water boil chicken 20 minutes
• Reserve water for stock.
• With a sharp knife scrape corn off the cob.
• Remove chicken from the bone and dice.
• Put tomato sauce, chicken, sausage, all veggies, 4 cups reserved chicken stock, evaporated milk and spices in a pot.
• Bring to a boil and simmer 40 minutes.
• Place rice in 8 cups reserved chicken and corn stock (add water if needed) and bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes.
• Add whole shrimp and simmer 10 minutes.
• Serve over rice.

LEGENDARY JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• Heat a large, heavy, dry stockpot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil, and then brown the sausage. Remove the sausage from the pan, and reserve the drippings. Add another tablespoon peanut oil, and then brown the chicken, adding more peanut oil, if necessary.
• Return the sausage to the pan with the chicken, and add the onion, celery, garlic, and pepper. Saute until the meats and the vegetables are cooked through. Add the tomatoes and the hot sauce, and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Add the file powder and the Cajun spice, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for at least 1 hour. Serve over cooked, steamed rice.

CAJUN JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and Creole seasoning, and work in seasoning well. In a large saucepan heat oil over high heat with onion, pepper and celery, 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. When rice is just tender add shrimp and chicken mixture and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.

AUTHENTIC CREOLE JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• Saute onion, green pepper, celery, garlic in melted butter Add shrimp and ham and saute about 5 minutes.
• Stir in tomatoes and cook 10 minutes.
• Stir in rice, add seasoning and liquid.
• Bring to a boil cover and simmer until rice is done.

CAJUN JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large enameled cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally to brown chicken all over, about 8 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate, leaving oil in skillet.
• Add sausage, cook turning once to brown, about 1 minute per side. Remove to plate with chicken, leaving oil in skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining tablespoon oil, onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan and stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden, about 8 minutes.
• Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add bay leaf, paprika, cayenne, oregano, and thyme and continue to cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Return meat and any accumulated juices to skillet. Stir in broth, increase heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until rice is tender, 20 minutes. Serve.

LOUISIANA JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and ham; saute until lightly browned. Remove and keep warm. In drippings, saute celery, onion, green pepper and green onions until tender. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Stir in tomatoes, thyme, salt, pepper and cayenne; cook 5 minutes longer., Stir in broth, rice, water and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in sausage mixture and shrimp; heat through. , Freeze option: Prepare jambalaya as directed, omitting rice and shrimp. Freeze shrimp and cooled jambalaya in separate freezer containers. Store rice in an airtight container at room temperature. To use, partially thaw jambalaya in refrigerator overnight. Place jambalaya in a 6-qt. stockpot; heat through. Add rice; cook, covered, about 10 minutes. Add frozen shrimp; continue cooking until shrimp are heated through and rice is tender, 5-7 minutes.

EASY CAJUN JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Saute chicken and kielbasa until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Season with cayenne, onion powder, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, or until onion is tender and translucent. Add rice, then stir in chicken stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce.

CREOLE JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, saute the onion, celery and green pepper in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the next 9 ingredients; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 25 minutes. , Add shrimp and parsley; simmer, uncovered, until shrimp turn pink, 7-10 minutes.