Jambalaya

Written By Jerry Teixeira

Jambalaya. . . When you hear the word Jambalaya, you can’t help but think of Louisiana and New Orleans; the home of Jambalaya. You think of shrimp, chicken, rice, and mouth-watering spices. It’s no wonder why Jambalaya has spread across the states, taking on different influences along the way. It made its way to California and into my family as a New Year's Eve tradition. Cooking Jambalaya on New Year's Eve is a tradition, my late uncle Joseph started years ago. As the family comes together to celebrate midnight, we cook and eat Jambalaya. He was sure to add his own Portuguese influence to the recipe by adding Portuguese linguica to the pot.  

If you love hot, spicy, and meaty dishes, you love this Jambalaya recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups long-grain rice
• 2 pre-cooked linguica links (1 lb) (turkey sausage links can be used instead)
• 3 cups x-large shrimp, peeled & cleaned
• 2 pre-cooked skinless chicken breasts, sliced
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• ½ cup diced red onions
• 1 cup diced bell peppers
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp green onion, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp Creole seasoning
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• ½ tbsp cumin

DIRECTIONS:

In a pot boil 4 cups of water, stir in rice, and cook for 20-25 minutes.

In a large skillet, melt butter, then add bell peppers, celery, garlic & red & green onions. Sauté, add tomatoes, shrimp, chicken & linguica. Sauté 10 minutes & add water as needed and/or wine to taste. Add salt, black pepper & seasoning.

Serve over rice and enjoy.