Chris's Jambalaya

Chicken, Andouille Smoked Sausage and Tasso Jambalaya

From "Hot & Spicy Recipes"

[My (Chris') comments are in brackets.]

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. unsalted butter
½ lb. tasso or other smoked ham, diced
½ lb. andouille smoked sausage or other smoked pork sausage cut into 1/4 inch slices [I like to use ground sausage]
¾ lb. boneless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp. Chef Paul Prudhomme's "Poultry Magic"
1 cu. chopped onions, divided
1 cu. chopped celery, divided
1 cu. chopped green bell peppers, divided
1 tbsp. minced garlic
½ cu. canned tomato sauce
1 cu. peeled, chopped tomatoes
2½ cu. chicken stock or water
1½ cu. uncooked (converted ) rice

Directions:

- Melt butter into a 4-qt. saucepan over high heat. Add tasso and andouille sausage; cook until meat starts to brown, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping pan bottom well. [Many Jambalaya recipes say that the little burned parts of sausage, chicken, and other ingredients that form on the bottom of the pan and get scraped into the mix add an authentic cajun flavor to the dish. If you have a well seasoned, cast-iron pot this adds a lot to the flavor of the dish.]

- Add chicken; continue cooking until chicken is brown, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently and scrapping pan bottom as needed.

- Stir in bay leaves, Poultry Magic and ½ cu. each of onions, celery and bell pepper; add garlic. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring and scraping pan bottom frequently.

- Stir in tomato sauce and cook about 1 minute, stirring often. Stir in remaining onions, celery, bell pepper and tomatoes. Stir in stock and rice; mix well.

- Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, over very low heat until rice is tender but still chewy, about 30 minutes. (If you prefer to finish the dish by baking it once stock and rice are added, transfer mixture to an ungreased 13x9 inch baking pan and bake, uncovered at 350º F until rice is tender but still chewy, about 1 hour).

- Stir well; remove bay leaves. Let sit, uncovered, 5 minutes before serving. [Many Jambalaya recipes advise to let the Jambalaya sit in the fridge overnight in the pot to let the flavor develop more fully and to permeate the rice.]

- To serve, arrange 2 heaping ½ cu. mounds of rice on each serving place for main dish; allow heaping ½ cu. for an appetizer. Makes 6 main dish servings or 12 appetizer servings.