Jambalaya

Yesterday we had rain all day (and I mean all day) - it was raining when I got up and it was raining when I went to bed.  It never stopped all day.  And today, did I wake up to spring and all the snow melted and gone?  Not even!  Today, I woke up to snow.  Snow, snow, snow and more snow.  This is a little taste of how our world looked when I went out to walk the dogs.  Not what you might expect for March 6th -- but it is Ottawa, after all.

This is the perfect kind of day for something warm, hearty and comforting to eat.  Something that not only fills you up but warms you up and makes you feel good too!  Jambalaya.  That's what I will make today.

I found this recipe on-line, where its called "Bubba's Jambalaya".  I don't know who Bubba is but I'm glad he posted his recipe on-line.  It appealed to me for a couple of reasons:  first off, it has no shrimp in it - and since I don't like or eat seafood this was good for me (although I would not hesitate to make a recipe that called for shrimp and just leave it out).  In addition, if you follow Bubba's recipe, you can make the whole thing on the stove top and really have it all prepped and cooked in about an hour.  Of course, I've made modifications so I can call the recipe my own.  I'm going to give you my version because if you want Bubba's you can just go on-line and find his version!  This Jambalaya is not for the faint of heart - this is a manly, meaty full meal deal in a pot.

Starting on the stovetop, with your dutch oven.  This is my KitchenAid cast iron, enamel coated dutch oven.  If you like to cook stews, one-pot meals in the oven you MUST get one!  They are fantastic.  After I got mine, for Christmas from my Mom and Dad, we bought one for my Mom's birthday the following year.  She also loves hers.

Start with your prep.  Chop onions (1-2 medium), celery (2-3 stalks) and red/green bell pepper.  I used slightly more that half of each of a red and green pepper because that's what I had.  If you only have green - use a whole green pepper.  If you have red, orange or yellow, use one of those.  Its really up to you.  Give the veggies a medium chop.

Here you can also see one of my Henkel knives.  Fantastic!  So sharp.  I also have some great Pampered Chef knives too.  If you are going to cook, get yourself some decent knives.  Seriously.  They really are worth the investment (and you can find decent ones for not too expensive) and they make all preparation SOOOO much faster and more enjoyable.  But, warning for Marlene and Emma:  if you are not that comfortable with SHARP knives maybe let someone else do the chopping for you!

Ok, next.  Fry some chicken breast in a bit of olive oil in the dutch oven.  Because this recipe is SOOOO meaty, you really don't need much chicken.  I used one very small breast (insert jokes here???).  Just cook until the chicken is not pink; don't over cook it because everything is going into the oven later.  And don't worry about the browning on the bottom of the pot. This is added flavour for your jambalaya and, because you have this fantastic enamel coated cast iron dutch oven so you know NOTHING is going to stick to the bottom.

When the chicken is lightly browned remove if from the pot.  Add some bacon - four to six strips and cook until it is good and crispy.  I always cut my bacon into small pieces before adding it to the pot because I find it a bit easier to work with and I think it cooks a bit faster, but you could always cook full strips and crumble it later.  Again, the bottom of the pot is going to be brown.  Don't worry about that. 

Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon in order to retain the bacon fat for cooking the veggies.  However, if you have a lot of fat, skim a little bit out to drizzle on top of the dogs' kibble for dinner.  They will love you for it and its good to make their coat nice and shiny.  Set the bacon aside; it does not come back to the party until after the jambalaya has cooked in the oven.

Add the chopped onion, celery and peppers to the bacon fat.  I also throw in some chopped garlic too.  Seriously!  How beautiful does this look?  The colours are great!

Cook until the veggies are softened - 5 to 10 minutes.  Then add all the meat (except the bacon):  cooked chicken breast, ham and sausage.  I used about a quarter pound of low fat ham from the deli, chopped into small cubes and about a quarter pound of smoked turkey sausage.  This is the best smoked turkey sausage I have ever had (ask Issie - he'll agree!!) from Bearbrook Farms.  You have to stock up at the end of the summer though because they sell at farmers markets in the summer/fall.  Stick it in the freezer to use over the winter.  It is so tasty; I use it in pasta sauce, chili, etc.  Mmmmmmm.  So yummy.

Ooops.  Back to the jambalaya.  Add one large can of plum tomatoes, and 2 to 3 cups of broth.  Bubba calls for 2 cups each of chicken broth and beef broth but I find that fills the dutch oven up too much.  So I used 1 cup of chicken stock and almost 2 cups of beef broth.  Now add some spices.  I use:  chopped fresh cilantro (because I put cilantro in almost everything I cook; I LOVE it sooo much), cajun spice, thyme and one chopped chipoltle pepper.  I like the smoky heat of the chipotles but you can add what you like, or nothing at all, if you don't want the heat.  I don't add salt or pepper because there is plenty of saltiness from the ham and bacon and spiciness from the chipotles.

Mmmm.  Its already looking so good.  Get the liquid hot - it doesn't have to be boiling but close to it.  Then add some rice.  I used about 1 1/4 cups of brown rice.  If you are using white rice, you might have to add more - up to 2 cups  - because it doesn't absorb as much liquid.  Give it all a good stir.
Cover with the lid and pop it into the oven, at 350*F.  Another benefit to this fabulous dutch oven - it weighs a TON so it is also an upper body workout while you are cooking.  Be sure to bend from your knees not from your back when transferring from the burner to the oven!  lol!
Cook for about 1 to 1.5 hours.  The rice will be soft and will have absorbed most of the liquid but it won't be dry.  Here I've just taken it out of the oven and the steam is rising.  It smells sooooo good.

Give it a stir and add the previously set aside crispy bacon.  Eat as soon as you can - but that will be a few minutes because it is hot.  But mmmmmm, it is so freaking delicious, you won't be able to wait for too long. 

Even though its cold and snowy out, this hearty meaty dish is just so warm and comforting.  It just makes you happy to eat!  It looks pretty too; great colour and spicy delicious-ness!  You can freeze it too; once it cools and use for lunches.   Hopefully we won't have TOOO many more of these cold, snowy days so you should try it soon!  Or wait till next winter.