BON APPETITE - A WEEKEND TREAT: Shrimp and Sausage Jambayala

One of my favorite places to visit is New Orleans, and one of my favorite dishes to eat there is jambalaya. There are three different versions of jambalaya: city Creole jambalaya, rural creole jambalaya, and Cajun jambalaya. All of them have slightly different ingredients and different approaches to making them. Some of them do not use tomatoes; many of them use combinations of meat such as shrimp, sausage, ham, or chicken. My favorite is shrimp and andouille sausage.

                   
                 JAMBALAYA

2 (4 ½ ounce) cans deveined small shrimp                                       

1 cup sliced andouille sausage (or diced ham)

2 Tbsp butter

½ cup peeled and chopped onions

1 cup finely cut green peppers

2 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed

1 ½ cups canned tomatoes

1 ½ cups shrimp liquid and water

1 cup uncooked rice

¼ tsp salt                                                                                            

1 bay leaf

½ tsp thyme

1/8 tsp cayenne

¼ cup finely cut parsley

             

[Optional: 1 cup okra]

Drain shrimp and save liquid. Cook sausage in butter in deep heavy skillet and removed. Cool slightly and cut into slice. Return it to the pan and add onions, green peppers, and garlic. Cook until onions and peppers are tender. Remove garlic and discard. Add tomatoes, shrimp liquid and water, rice and seasonings. Cover skillet. Cook slowly 25 to 30 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir occasionally. Add parsley and shrimp. Heat, but do not boil. Serve at once on toast or with biscuit if desired.

Makes six servings. Enjoy!