New Jambalaya

After years of making things one way, things sometimes get shaken up.

Husband and elder son had Jambalaya at Cajun Kitchen. It was a saucier melange, served over a scoop of rice rather than having the rice cooked in.

I hunted a few recipes, and Rachael Ray's Everything Jambalaya fit the bill. I left out the chicken, because shrimp and sausage are just right, in our opinions.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan 
1 tablespoon butter 
1 pound boneless, skinless white or dark meat chicken 

3/4 pound andouille, casing removed and diced 

1 medium onion, chopped 2 ribs celery, chopped 

1 green bell pepper, chopped 

1 bay leaf, fresh or dried 

several drops hot sauce or 2 pinches cayenne pepper 

2 to 3 tablespoons (a handful) all-purpose flour 

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice 

1(14-ounce) can or paper container chicken stock or broth 

1 teaspoon (1/3 palmful) cumin 

1 rounded teaspoon (1/2 palmful) dark chili powder 

1 teaspoon (1/3 palmful) poultry seasoning 

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

1 pound medium shrimp, raw, deveined and peeled (ask for easy peel at fish counter) 

Coarse salt and black pepper 

Chopped scallions, for garnish 

Fresh thyme, chopped for garnish 

2 cups enriched white rice  

Cook rice to package directions. Place a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and butter to the pan. Cube chicken and place in hot oil and butter. Brown chicken 3 minutes, add sausage, and cook 2 minutes more. Add onion, celery, pepper, bay, and cayenne. Saute vegetables 5 minutes, sprinkle flour over the pan and cook 1 or 2 minutes more. Stir in tomatoes and broth and season with cumin, chili, poultry seasoning, and Worcestershire. Bring liquids to a boil and add shrimp. Simmer shrimp 5 minutes until pink and firm. Remove the pot from the heat and place on a trivet. Ladle jambalaya into shallow bowls. Using an ice cream scoop, place a scoop of rice on to the center of the bowlfuls of jambalaya. Sprinkle dishes with salt, pepper, chopped scallions, and thyme leaves.