Jambalaya

Like gumbo, jambalaya has always been a way to deal with leftovers, especially small quantities of cooked meats that wouldn't be enough with which to prepare another whole meal by themselves, and which one wouldn't want to go to waste. So, what you add to jambalaya is up to you, and the sky's the limit as to what works well in it!  The meats and quantities I have listed are just what I like in mine.

Ingredients:
½ lb. crawfish (shelled/peeled/boiled) or raw, whole shrimp (peeled and cleaned/deveined - optional)
1 cup tasso or ham, diced into ½" pieces
1 cup cooked chicken meat, shredded
½ cup to 1 cup andouille sausage, cooked, sliced
2 Tbs. butter or oil
4 - 6 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup (½ average/medium) white or yellow onion, finely chopped
½ cup (one rib) celery, finely chopped
2 cups canned tomatoes, chopped, crushed or diced (drain, but reserve the liquid)
1 cup raw, white rice
2 bay leaves (whole)
½ cup green, bell pepper, finely chopped
½ cup chicken broth or water, plus ½ cup boiling water
2 Tbs mild paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
ground cayenne (red-hot) pepper to taste


Directions:
Heat the butter/oil in a large, heavy pan or skillet over medium heat. Fry the meat until browned and warmed through.

Next, sauté the onion, green pepper, celery and garlic together in it until the onion turns soft and translucent.

Stir in the tomatoes and cook another minute or two. Then stir in the raw rice, add the seasonings, the liquid from the tomatoes and the broth/water (not the boiling water yet - that's coming up ahead in the instructions).

Bring it all to a boil, cover and simmer on very low heat (just so it's bubbling slightly) for 30 minutes (do not remove the lid during this phase if you can help it - the rice needs the pressure and steam in the pot to cook properly).

After the 30 minutes has passed, take off the lid, stir the boiling water in well, cover the pot back up and let it cook on low an additional 15 minutes. Add the shrimp, if you're including shrimp, and simmer until the shrimp turn nice and pink (5 minutes). Don't forget to remove the bay leaves before serving!