Fat Tuesday

When I realized that yesterday was Fat Tuesday, my first thought was to suggest The Big Mamou for dinner. As much as I love their food, though, I don't love waiting in line for a table or - worse yet - trying to leisurely enjoy my meal while others are waiting for my table. And, I knew it would be crazy busy. 

The next best thing - maybe the best thing - was to cook at home. I owed Brian a meal, since I lost our pool "tournament" on Sunday, so decided to make jambalaya and corn bread to satisfy my New Orleans craving and payment on my bet. I made this batch pretty spicy, but it would be easy enough to alter the seasoning to your taste.

This is adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe. Whenever I watch her show, I wonder if she's on speed; then I make one of her recipes, I know she must be.  There's no way any normal cook can do this in 30 minutes, but it was on the table in less than an hour, with time to simmer away for a bit. 

It turned out even better than the jambalaya at The Big Mamou (sorry Chef Wayne)!

1 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 T butter

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken - cubed

1 lb. spicy sausage - casing removed and diced / crumbled

1 large onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 T hot sauce (I used Cholula) 

1 heaping tsp cayenne pepper

2 to 3 T all-purpose flour

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice

1 3/4 C chicken stock

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1 tsp Worcestershire

1 pound medium shrimp, raw, deveined and peeled

In a large, deep skillet over medium high heat, heat oil and butter. Brown chicken 5 minutes, add sausage and cook 3 - 5 minutes more. Add onion, celery, pepper, bay, and cayenne.

Saute vegetables 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the pan and cook a few minutes more, cooking out raw flour taste and letting flavor develop but stirring to keep from sticking to bottom of pan. Stir in tomatoes, broth, spices, and Worcestershire. Bring liquids to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer. (I let it go about 20 minutes.)

Add shrimp and simmer 5 minutes until pink and firm, then serve with rice.

This recipe made a huge pot of stew, and it was almost better the next day.  That's good, considering we'll be eating it all week!

For the corn bread, I made a pouch mix according to package directions and added a can of diced green chilies and about a 1/2 C of shredded cheese. The thing that put it over the top was baking it in a cast iron skillet. (If you don't have a cast iron skillet, get one now. I got a 10" skillet at Rocky's Hardware for $17 - and it is awesome.)  For more spice, I will saute some fresh diced jalapenos next time, rather than using the can.

Enjoy!