Paul Prudhomme's Poorman's Jambalaya

sugarpea's Note:

Killer jambalaya! No tomato in this one and consider yourself warned: careful with the peppers in the seasoning mix. I usually cut the various peppers to 1/4 of the listed amount. I use my food processor to chop the vegetables. Do them separately to get them the right size. Have all the ingredients prepped and ready before you begin cooking because if you don't pay attention, you'll burn it. Make every effort to use homemade stock or sodium-free stock. This is soooo good and sooo worth the effort.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 50 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Yield: 8.0 appetiz ...

Seasoning Mix

• 4 small bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
• 1 teaspoon gumbo file (file powder) (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Jambalaya

• 4 tablespoons margarine
• 6 ounces tasso (about 1 1/2 cups) or 6 ounces other smoked ham, diced
• 6 ounces smoked andouille sausages (about 1 heaping cup) or 6 ounces kielbasa, diced
• 1 1/2 cups onions, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups celery, chopped
• 1 cup bell pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 cups uncooked rice (preferably converted)
• 4 cups beef stock or 4 cups chicken stock (if not salt-free, adjust salt)

Directions:

1. Seasoning Mix: Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Jambalaya: Use a large, heavy skillet, cast iron is best; over high heat melt margarine; add tasso and andouille, or ham and sausage, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add onions, celery, bell pepper, seasoning mix and garlic; stir and cook 10-12 minutes until well browned, scraping the bottom of the pan well.
4. Stir in rice and cook 5 minutes, again scraping the pan bottom often; add stock.
5. Bring mixture to boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, about 20 minutes, until rice is tender but still a bit crunchy; stir a bit towards the end of the cooking time; remove bay leaves and serve.

Reviews

[BlueState82]

This is my jambalaya recipe except I cut the peppers in half. I find that it's perfect- spicy but still enjoyable. If you can, definitely use file because it adds a lot. I also use a mixture of andouille sausage and shredded chicken. Tasso is hard to find outside of Louisiana, but if I had some, I would definitely use it for this recipe. For the rice, I use half rice half orzo because we prefer pasta to rice. My 1 year old devours this so I end up making it at least once a month. Sometimes if I am pressed for time, I will use a frozen seasonings mix (onions, bell pepper, celery and parsley) and add chopped garlic. It tastes just as good. I cook it in a big pot since I don't have a cast iron skillet, and my mom taught me to let it simmer covered for 20 minutes and it will come out perfectly. Overall, it's one of my family's favorites.

[Leslie1017]

My favorite recipe. I follow it to the letter and it is always a favorite. I found the recipe in the 80's I do like to make it just before serving it

[Henry Spencer]

This has been my go-to jambalaya recipe for years since I bought his cookbook. Depending on who I make it for, I cut the cayenne by 1/2 or 3/4. I substitute VA country ham for tasso (I can get a package of ham bits at Safeway for cheap that are perfect for this recipe). Also, I cut the broth to 3 1/2 cups which is sufficient to cook the rice, and not have to boil excess off at the end.