Jambalaya

Jambalaya is a delicious shrimp and sausage dinner that tastes even better the next day (perfect for lunch).  I had a lot of shrimp leftover from another recipe and thought about Jambalaya.  A really delicious jambalaya recipe comes from no other than Mr. Emeril Lagasse.  It's spicy, without being too hot, can be made relatively quickly and makes for great leftovers.  

I changed a few things because I did not have some of the ingredients on hand.  The recipe calls for celery, and I just added more pepper. I also didn't add any chicken this time because I had a lot of shrimp left over.  I changed the broth from 3 cups of chicken broth to 2 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of tomato juice (I had the juice leftover from draining tomatoes.  Speaking of tomatoes, I also used a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained in place of the chopped tomatoes.  I made the spice mixture according to the recipe, but I added cardamom in place of the thyme.  Just a few changes, but I believe I kept the overall feel of the recipe.  Check it out!  

I served this with spicy garlic bread (1 tbsp softened butter, 1 tbsp of creole seasoning, 1 tbsp parmesan cheese, mix, spread, bake in 400F oven for 5 minutes)

Jambalaya
Adapted from Emeril at Food Network

Ingredients
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, recipe follows2 tablespoons olive oil1/2 onion chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped garlic1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained3 bay leaves1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce1 teaspoon hot sauce3/4 cup rice2 cups chicken stock1 cup of tomato juice3 Andouille sausages, slicedSalt and pepperDirectionsIn a bowl combine shrimp and Creole seasoning, and work in seasoning well. In a large saucepan heat oil over mediumheat with onion and peppers until soft. 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 sausage. Cook until shrimp is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.



Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tsp cardamom
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup