Jambalaya
This
Cajun dish makes an ideal party dish -- colorful, spicy, flexible and easy to
make ahead.
2 Tablespoons vegetable
oil
1/2 pound chourico sausage (or andouille,
if available)
skinned, sliced
and cut into sticks
3 1/2 pound chicken, cut in pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion,
chopped
1 large rib celery,
chopped
1 large clove garlic
(or more, if you like)
1 large green
bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
3 cups tomatoes,
with their juice, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon dried
thyme
1 teaspoon red
pepper flakes (or more, if you like)
2 cups chicken
stock
1 pound shrimp,
cooked and shelled
1/3 cup fresh
parsley, chopped
1. In a very large
skillet or cast iron stew pot, heat the oil and brown the chourico,
stirring. Take out and set aside.
2. Salt and pepper
the chicken pieces and brown them in the fat left in the pot, turning as
needed. Take out and set aside.
3. One at a time,
soften the onion, celery, garlic, and green pepperin
the fat, stirring. Add the tomatoes,
thyme, red pepper flakes, and stock.
4. Return the
chicken to the pot and simmer, covered, until cooked through. (About 15
minutes.)
5. Remove the
chicken pieces and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, continue to cook the liquid uncovered to reduce somewhat.
6. When the chicken
is cool enough to handle, take the meat off the in chunks, discarding the the bones and skin.
Set aside the chunks of chicken meat.
The above steps can be done in advance.
7. To complete the
dish, return the chicken and chorico to the pot, add
the cooked shrimp, and cook everything until it is heated through. Stir in the parsley and check for seasoning.
8. Serve with rice.
Yield:
8 servings
Souce: Singular
Sensations: Creating One-Dish Skillet Meals
by
Elizabeth Riely, Globe
Correspondent
The
October 8, 1997