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!

Maryland Crab Cakes

Ingredients:

1 pound backfin Blue crab meat or other lump crab meat
8 saltine crackers
1 egg beaten
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp Worcestershire
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning (or more if you like a lot)
salt to taste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
sliced scallion (optional)

Directions:

Carefully check the crab meat for any cartilage. Put meat in a bowl and set it aside.

Crush the saltine crackers very fine and mix with all the other ingredients. Gently fold in the crab. Only mix enough to combine ingredients. You don't want to break up the crab into fine shreds. Shape into 6 crab cakes, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan. Sauté until golden brown on each side. This will only take about 3-5 minutes per side.

Garnish with tartar sauce, remoulade, or simply with a squeeze of lemon.

Cajun Hoppin' John (Black-Eyed Peas and Rice)

I typically serve this for New Year's, but didn't get around to it this year.  So, we had it a few days late.  It's similar to Cajun red beans and rice, but with black-eyed peas instead.  Since my boyfriend doesn't eat pork, I had to use smoked beef sausage this time, but I typically prefer andouille and a ham hock with this.  So, I will list the recipe as I usually make it.  I make mine spicy.  So, if you can't handle spice, decrease or omit the cayenne (although I think that ruins it).  


Ingredients:

2 tsp  freshly ground pepper

1 ½ tsp  cayenne pepper

1 ½ tsp paprika

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt
Pinch of thyme
1 bay leaf

Few Tbsp of oil

1 ham hock

1 lb andouille sausage

1 onion

1 green bell pepper

2 stalks of celery

4-5 cans of black-eyed peas

about 1 cup of chicken stock (eye ball it)

Directions:

Add a lil oil to a stock pot or dutch oven like the one in my pic above.  Brown your ham hock (if using) on all sides.  Set aside.

Dice up your onion, bell pepper, and celery.  Slice your andouille.  If you need to, add a little more oil to your pot.  Saute the veggies and sausage over medium heat until the onions are clear and the sausage starts to brown.  Add about a half cup of chicken stock to the pan to deglaze.  Scrape up all the browned bits.

Add 2 cans of black-eyed peas undrained.  Drain the other 2 cans.  Stir.  The liquid should just cover everything.  The consistency of a stew is what you're looking for, but not a soup.  If you need to, add a little more stock.  

Add your spices.  Stir well.

Bring to a boil.  Stir often to prevent sticking.  Lower the heat to low to med-low.  Simmer with the lid off until the liquid reduces some.  When you reach almost the right thickness, cover.  I like to cook these over low for at least an hour or two.  You'll know they're done when the sauce is thick.  The beans thicken so well on their own.  So, I rarely make a roux for this.  

Taste test to see if you need more seasonings.  Then serve over white rice.  This is good with cornbread or french bread.