Cajun Jambalaya Soup Food

CAJUN JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large enameled cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally to brown chicken all over, about 8 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate, leaving oil in skillet.
• Add sausage, cook turning once to brown, about 1 minute per side. Remove to plate with chicken, leaving oil in skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining tablespoon oil, onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan and stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden, about 8 minutes.
• Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add bay leaf, paprika, cayenne, oregano, and thyme and continue to cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Return meat and any accumulated juices to skillet. Stir in broth, increase heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until rice is tender, 20 minutes. Serve.

CLASSIC CAJUN JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• Prepare all your ingredients and set aside in their own small bowls: Cube all your meats; chop the veggies-you want about 5 to 6 cups all together; chop your garlic.
• Mix the herb and spice blend (except the salt which you should add separately) in a bowl; set aside.
• In a cast-iron Dutch oven or other heavy pot with a lid, melt the bacon grease over medium heat. Brown the cubed pork for 15 to 20 minutes, carefully scraping the brown sticky bits off the bottom as it cooks.
• After about 20 minutes add the sausage and brown with the pork. Continue to scrap the bottom of the pan. Brown the pork and sausage together for about 10 minutes, rendering as much of the fat as possible.
• Add the chicken to the pork and sausage in the dutch oven. Turn up the heat just a bit as the chicken will start to lose its water. Keep stirring. After 10 to 15 minutes you should have a nice batch of browned meat and some grease in the pot.
• Add the veggies to the dutch oven with the meat; stir until they are mixed well with the meats. You want them to cook down and begin to caramelize. Brown for about 15 minutes, stirring as needed not to let them scorch on the bottom of the pan. After about 15 minutes add the garlic and stir until aromatic-about 2 minutes or so. Add about half of the Herb and Spice Blend and some kosher salt, stir it up good.
• Now you will add the stock. Start with just about a cup or so at first and use it to deglaze the bottom. Add the parsley and about half the remaining Herb and Spice Blend-save a little to add at the end if you think you need it. Now add the remaining stock and bring to a steady simmer for 15 minutes, uncovered.
• After 15 minutes add the rice, stir together and return to a full boil before reducing the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot tightly and cook on low for a total of 30 minutes. Do not uncover the pot except one time-at the 15 minute mark to stir the jambalaya completely-scrapping off the bottom so it does not scorch; replace the lid to cover tightly.
• After 30 minutes (15 minutes after you stirred) taste it-it's done if the rice is cooked. If all of the stock has not been absorbed, cook it a little more uncovered; if all the stock has been absorbed but it's not quite cooked, add a little of the stock you reserved and cook it covered another 5 minutes or so. Keep checking like this and it will be done.

JAMBALAYA SOUP

Steps:

• In a saucepan,bring broth,tomatoes,garlic,herbs and cayenne to a boil.
• In a 5-or6-qt slow-cooker, mix onion,celery,rice and sausage.
• Add broth.
• Tuck in drumsticks,meaty side down,to cover.
• Scatter bell peppers on top.
• Cover;cook on low-heat setting 7-8 hrs,or on high for2 1/2-3 hrs,until rice has softened and chicken is tender.
• Uncover then turn to high.
• Add shrimp and okra;cover.
• Simmer 5 minutes,until shrimp are cooked and okra is crisp tender.
• Remove drumsticks;remove bones,if desired.
• Ladle in soup bowls and add chicken to each bowl.
• MY NOTES:You may add or subtract to your liking.
• I have used chicken thighs and chicken breasts and I have also used smoked sausage.
• Use more or less seasonings or add different ones.
• I also make this in my dutch oven on the stove top.
• If you do it this way cook everything but the shrimp and okra for about an hour&10 min,then add shrimp and okra and simmer for about 5 more minutes.
• Have fun!

JAMBALAYA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add the olive oil. Add the sausages and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon.
• Add the scallion whites, celery and bell pepper to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and Cajun seasoning; cook 1 minute.
• Add 1 1/2 cups water, the chicken broth, rice, tomatoes and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Return the sausages to the pot and season with salt. Discard the bay leaf. Top the soup with the scallion greens and serve with cornbread.

CAJUN CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• The most important thing is to use the right equipment and I would suggest the following: a 2-gallon cast iron Dutch oven, a high BTU gas stove, and a large stainless steel chef's spoon.
• Use high heat to preheat the Dutch oven and add the sausage. Using a chef's spoon or large spoon, constantly move the sausage from the bottom of the pot. Be careful not to burn the meat. (Normally I use Manda's sausage because it has little fat, however at this point you may want to drain off all of the excess grease to reduce the fat content from the dish.)
• Add the thigh meat and brown the chicken on all sides. Again use the spoon to scrape the meat from sticking and burning to the bottom of the pot. Browning the sausage and chicken meats should take 20 minutes. Be careful not to over cook the thigh meat to the point that it shreds.
• Lower the heat to medium and add the onions and garlic; saute for about 15 minutes or until the onions are very limp and "clear". Scrape the bottom of the pot to remove all the "graton". This is where the jambalaya gets its distinct brown color and taste.
• Add the tasso, thyme, basil and black and white pepper. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. This will give the seasonings time to release their oils and flavors.
• At this point the jambalaya concentrate can be transferred to smaller containers, cooled to room temperature, covered and refrigerated for future use. (This is what we do commercially; it allows the seasonings to marry.)
• When you are ready to cook the jambalaya, add the stock to the concentrate and bring to a rolling boil. Add the rice, reduce the heat to medium and gently break up the rice. Using the stainless steel paddle, continue to insure that the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pot; this is very important!
• After about 5 minutes, fold in the parsley. Continue to scrape the pot to insure that no rice sticks to the bottom. When the jambalaya returns to a boil, reduce heat to the lowest possible setting and simmer, covered, for at least 25 minutes. Do not remove the cover while the rice is steaming.
• If Manda's brand sausage is not available, any lean smoked sausage can be substituted. You may have to remove any excess grease from the pot after frying down an unknown sausage.
• For a richer jambalaya substitute turkey stock for the chicken stock called for above.
• If no stocks are available, then chicken soup base can be used. Be careful with your seasoning, as bases are usually full of salt.
• Alternate Method:
• The jambalaya is best when served directly out of the cast iron pot. While the rice is steaming, the sausage and meat will have a tendency to float to the surface of the jambalaya. Therefore, after the rice has steamed for 25 minutes, use the paddle to gently fold in the meat and seasonings into the cooked rice. This should only be done once or twice, the rice will loose a lot of heat and the rice will break apart.
• Also note, I do not add salt to my jambalaya. This is because I like to use herbs, tasso and seasonings to satisfy the need for salt. I would suggest having the table set with salt shakers and a selection of hot pepper sauces.
• Plate Presentation:

EASY CAJUN JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Saute chicken and kielbasa until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Season with cayenne, onion powder, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, or until onion is tender and translucent. Add rice, then stir in chicken stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce.

LOUISIANA JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and ham; saute until lightly browned. Remove and keep warm. In drippings, saute celery, onion, green pepper and green onions until tender. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Stir in tomatoes, thyme, salt, pepper and cayenne; cook 5 minutes longer., Stir in broth, rice, water and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in sausage mixture and shrimp; heat through. , Freeze option: Prepare jambalaya as directed, omitting rice and shrimp. Freeze shrimp and cooled jambalaya in separate freezer containers. Store rice in an airtight container at room temperature. To use, partially thaw jambalaya in refrigerator overnight. Place jambalaya in a 6-qt. stockpot; heat through. Add rice; cook, covered, about 10 minutes. Add frozen shrimp; continue cooking until shrimp are heated through and rice is tender, 5-7 minutes.

INSTANT POT® CAJUN JAMBALAYA

Steps:

• Rinse rice. Combine wet rice and chicken broth in a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot®). Close and lock the lid and set valve to sealing. Choose Rice function. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for pressure to build.
• Release pressure carefully using the quick-release method according to manufacturer's instructions, about 5 minutes. Unlock and remove the lid. Transfer rice to a bowl and keep warm.
• Rinse out pot liner and choose Saute function. Add grapeseed oil, chicken, and sausage; saute until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add celery, bell pepper, and onion. Saute 1 more minute. Add tomatoes, Creole seasoning, and Cajun seasoning. Add shrimp and cook just until tails curl up, 1 to 3 minutes. Serve jambalaya on top of or mixed into the cooked rice.