New year, new blog post! After a hiatus, I’m back to deliver a much more regular schedule of mouth-watering meals to your screens!

I love Cajun food. Like I wish I was Cajun and grew up in that culture at times. But when we aren’t part of a culture, we can still experience pieces of it through immersing ourselves in the attached customs, celebrations and food!

So here we are:

Jambalaya is arguably the most notorious Creole dish that ventures outside of Louisiana. Yes, there’s gumbo. And red beans & rice (stay tuned for that one soon). But let’s keep talking about that delicious plate of food above.

It’s actually a pretty simple dish and doesn’t take much time to make. I’ve spent a lot of time perfecting this recipe, and it starts with the seasoning. If you want to play it safe, feel free to find a good quality jar of Cajun seasoning at your local grocery store. If you’re feeling a bit daring, check out the ingredients list below to see my take,  and tweak it to suit your palate.

Most Jambalaya can include sausage (typically Andouille), shrimp, and/or chicken. I made a simple version with just sausage, but you can add any combination of these proteins. I’ve also heard legend of successful vegetarian versions using tofu or another meat substitute.

The fast and dirty: Seasoning may vary depending on who you ask, but my research shows the best combination is smoked paprika, oregano, garlic powder, cayenne, thyme, black pepper and salt.

I couldn’t find andouille, so I went for a good smoked beef sausage. I sliced it up, bite-sized and into some olive oil on medium-high to get the fat melting and outside crisp. Remove the sausage but leave that pan for the veggies.

As classic Cajun cuisine demands, you need some garlic, celery, onion and green bell pepper. So simple, yet something magically delicious (no, not Lucky Charms, stop that thought) happens when these meld together in the skillet. I give each a rough chop, mince the garlic and get them cooking on medium in the sausage drippings. Cook these down a bit and add the sausage back in.

Yeah, look at the sausage and veggies swimming together in all that glorious oil. I know, it’s hard to look away.

Once they’ve spend some quality time together, you can add the Cajun seasoning. Toss that around for a few minutes and you can finally add that chicken broth and tomato paste from 6 pictures ago that I strategically forgot to mention until just now. I use the whole can of tomato paste and start with a cup of broth. I may add more depending on the next part.

The rice.

I cook up about 3 cups of jasmine rice. I don’t think jasmine is the rice you’ll typically find in this dish, but I think this particularly fragrant grain compliments the other elements. Earthy and gritty cooking with a delicate accompaniment. Yeah, you’ll want to toss that rice in with the rest of the goodness.

Add more broth if it’s looking too dry, cook these together for just a couple minutes and let it rest.

Plate it up, add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce or go for it undressed. Enjoy!

Recipe:

Cajun Seasoning:
– 3 tablespoons smoked paprika
– 2 tablespoons garlic powder
– 1 tablespoon oregano
– 2 tsp cayenne
– 1 tsp thyme
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 tsp black pepper
Put this in a jar and keep the extra.

Jambalaya Stuff:
– 4-5 andouille short links or 1 smoked beef sausage, sliced
– 3 cups rice, cooked (jasmine is used here, but try your favorite)
– 1 large onion, chopped
– 2 green bell peppers, chopped
– 3 celery stalks, chopped
– 2 garlic cloves, minced
– 1 cup of chicken broth (more if needed)
– 1-6 oz. can of tomato paste
– 3 tbsp Cajun seasoning
– 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet on medium-high heat, add olive oil and sausage. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring often.
2. Remove sausage from pan, reduce heat to medium and add veggies. Cook for 6-8 minutes until tender, stirring often.
3. Add sausage back in with veggies, seasoning, tomato paste and broth, and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Add rice and cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, cover and rest for 5 minutes.
6. Enjoy!