Marion's Miscellaneous Musings

I suppose there are as many recipes for Jambalaya as there are cajun cooks, but this is what worked for everyone tonight. So I'm writing it down for posterity.

Cajun spice:

1/8 cup salt

1/4 cup chili powder

1/4 cup Paprika

3/4 Tablespoon ground pepper melange

1 Tablespoon dried basil

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

1 Tablespoon Cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons dried thyme

Mix, should store for about 3 months. Makes about 3/4 cup, so the directions (store in a spice jar) should be, well, taken with a grain of salt!

Actually, the recipe I found is slightly different. It called for 1 tablespoon black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, but all I have at the moment is the pepper melange. And I got tired of grinding it, so the 3/4 is an estimate. It also called for coriander, which I don't have so I left it out. And I never have onion powder, since I always use real onions. (1 Tablespoon.) The salt amount is what is left in the box, the actual amount is 1/3 cup. But that is OK, I don't eat a lot of salt.

Now, to the actual recipe:

1 celery stalked, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 pound sausage

1 chicken breast, cubed

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon thyme

1 Tablespoon cajun seasoning

1 Tablespoon dried chicken stock

2 cups white rice

Brown meats (I used a little olive oil to get things started)

Add vegetables and spices

Cook until onion is translucent

add tomatoes, rice, and the right amount of water.

Simmer until rice is done.

Total cooking time, including washing and drying a spice jar that was obviously too small: about 1 hour. Of course I cut up the chicken while the sausage was browning, and cut up vegetables while the meats were cooking. So I saved some time there, but if you don't wash and dry a spice jar that is too small, it all comes out in the end.

Everyone liked it and said I could add more spice next time. (Jack had thirds, and he is trying to lose weight. He is justifying it by claiming he didn't have doughnuts (or their relatives) at work this week. I only had seconds.) Which is good, because I have enough cajun spice for about 12 more batches. Doing a little high math, that means a batch a week because I need to use the spice within 3 months. Just as we are going into the hot season. They are going to find excuses to go elsewhere on Jambalaya night!

You can add more tomatoes if you want, but I am not a tomato fan. That is probably the reason I only had one can. Besides, I chose the wrong pan to cook it and it almost overflowed.

Other meat choices include ham, bacon, shrimp and whatever else tickles your fancy. Add cooked meats and seafood about 5 minutes before the end. Cook bacon separately and add at the end.

And example of the weather we are having lately. This was taken just north of Yakima. If you look closely, you can see all the bug guts on the windshield. The rain took care of them nicely, but I got a whole new batch of bug guts after we passed through it.