Hey Nana What’s for Dinner?

 

 

Hog jaws and chitlins and collard greens!

 

What?!? 

 

Naw…..

 

Lets have a big bowl of Jambalaya! 

Let start off by saying I am from Wisconsin not Louisiana!

So this may not be an true, authentic version of this recipe.

So with that said, lets move forward ….

 

Jambalaya !

 

  

1 chicken leg and thigh quarter

2 pints of home canned tomatoes (or 2 small cans tomatoes)

1 stalk celery (chopped)

1 onion (chopped)

4 to 5 cloves garlic (minced)

3 tsp paprika

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp or to taste red pepper flake

2 pieces of chopped

1 lb. chopped smoked sausage (or of your choosing)

2 cups chicken stock (or water)

1/2 lb shrimp, Cleaned and deveined

2 Tblsp tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups cooked rice

 

Start by chopping up the bacon ,and put in a dutch oven and cook until browed.

Then mince garlic and add to bacon,turn heat down so you don’t brown the garlic.

Chop onion and celery and add to bacon and garlic. Cook until translucent . Then add the tomato paste  and cook until it browns to give depth of flavor. ( Yes, I watch the food network! You pick catchy phrases like ,depth of flavor)

Add the tomatoes and broth (I like mine more like a soup so I have more broth)

 

Add chicken ,sausage and spices,

 

cover and cook until chicken is done .

Remove chicken,

Then take chicken off the bone and shred or you may chop it what ever you prefer.

Add chicken back in the pan and simmer. I have used frozen shrimp.

I think it would be better to use fresh but it is ok to use what you have on hand. Do not add the shrimp until right before  you are ready to serve. It only takes a few minutes to cook the shrimp, if you over cook it it will be rubbery.  Traditionally you would cook the rice in with the broth but I don’t like the results of that. Two reasons, if  you have any leftovers it does not reheat as well with the rice cooked in it. I like it kind of soupy so I would rather have the rice in the bottom of the bowl and have some broth for the bread you serve with it.

 

You may serve with Tabasco sauce it you like it hot! 

It turned out really well! The taste was excellent!  Most recipes said it would take about 1 1/2 hours to prepare, but I think it benefits from the all day simmer. All of the flavors marry and gives much better results. You could go through the steps of sauté the vegetables and then put in slow cooker  to cook all day.

 

We have finished the other half of the Dinning Room! Oh Glory ! I think it looks wonderful! What do you think???

 

I would like to sit in there even if I am not eating!

Have a look at the neat little fall ceramic gourds I picked at the antique store for $1.99 a piece . Aren’t they sweet! 

I put them on my cake stand and put a strand of leaves from the dollar tree. With them on the cake stand you can pick up the cake stand and move the whole center piece if need be,rather than having to move it piece by piece.

Ya’ll come on back  and sit a spell!