Paul Prudhomme's Poorman's Jambalaya

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.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 8 appetizer servings

Ingredients

• 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.