Jambalaya, mon

For my midwest version of jambalaya, I start by baking two boneless chicken breasts seasoned with a knockoff of Emeril's "Essence" seasoning mix.* Meanwhile, cut about a 1/2 pound of kielbasa or other smoked sausage into bite-sized pieces and brown in a splash of olive oil in the bottom of a large stockpot over medium heat. Add one medium chopped onion. Add a tablespoon of the seasoning mix plus some red pepper flakes to taste. Add one chopped bell pepper. Add 4 cloves of minced garlic, a bay leaf, pepper, and anything else that strikes you as being tasty. Add the baked, cubed chicken to the mix. Add about 2 c of rice and stir to coat the rice with the mixture. Add 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes and 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, along with about 2 c of chicken stock. Stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer, covered, until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid and is tender, at least 20 minutes. Be sure not to let it boil out of control, or the rice will lose all its consistency and become mushy. I then added a can of black beans (rinsed) and some frozen corn, but other beans and or veggies would also be great - red beans, okra, etc. Serve hot.

This makes a ton, and I always end up making more than I intended to. But it is a great, inexpensive way to stretch meat. And, like the pasta salad, we'll be eating it all week.



*Emeril's seasoning - The word "essence" disturbs me. But to make it, you mix 2 1/2 tbsp paprika, 2 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp black pepper, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp cayenne, 1 tbsp oregano, and 1 tbsp thyme.