Sausage and Chicken Jambalaya

There are approximately 12,000 variations of jambalaya, with most of them containing the basic formula of several types of meat, rice, stock, hot spices, and giant pot and is grouped into two categories, Creole (red) and Cajun (brown). Creole jambalaya gets much of its flavor from the inclusion of tomatoes while Cajun jambalaya uses a Cajun mirepoix (differing from traditional French mirepoix by substituting of bell peppers for carrots) as the foundation of this “throw everything into the pot” pilaf. Out of the 12,000 variations of jambalaya, approximately 9000 of recipes come from Louisiana’s most famous chef, Emeril Lagasse, so I’ve selected one of my favorites, Sausage and Chicken. It’s a Cajun style jambalaya that forgoes shrimp in favor of ham, cooks up easily and can feed an army.

You will need –

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped bell peppers
1 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons salt
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (Cayenne packs way more heat than you think it does, so don’t try to be a hero and add more than 2 teaspoons.)
1-2 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 pound of sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices (Traditionalists might insist on andouille sausage, but any smoked sausage will do. So of course I used my regional favorite, kielbasa.)
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless white and dark chicken meat cut into 1-inch cubes
3/4 pound country ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 bay leaves
3 cups medium-grain white rice
6 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oil in a stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, half of the cayenne and salt, and cook, stirring every so often, until the vegetables are very soft, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Toss in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds so it opens up enough to flavor the sausage, and then throw in the sausage slices and cook until heated all the way through, for about 5 minutes. Be sure to keep stirring and scrap any browned bits that stick to the sides and bottom of the pot.

Season the chicken with the remaining salt and cayenne, then add the chicken and the bay leaves to the pot until the meat is browned, which should take about another 5 minutes. Add the ham and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes and then pour in the 3 cups of rice and heat — still stirring — for another 2 to 3 minutes. (Look for the rice to start to take on a translucent quality.)

Add the stock, stir to combine, and cover. Lower the heat to low and cook without stirring until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed, 25 to 35 minutes. (Don’t feel bad if you have to poke at the bottom of the pot with your big wooden spoon to see how much liquid is left.) Remove the pot from the heat and let stand, covered, without stirring for 10 minutes.

Mix in the green onions and chopped parsley, and serve immediately, removing the bay leaves as you find them.