So… It’s been a rough couple of weeks. The world seems to be coming apart at the seams and I’m seeing things I never thought I would witness. I really thought that the world had become a little nicer place, and had learned from past mistakes. Hmm, sadly, it seems I may have been wrong. I hope not, but… I’m going to hold out hope and wait and watch.

In the meantime, I do what I always seem to do and that is fixate on food. Yeah, I’ve been a foodie for most of my life. I made it my life and a lot of that stems from my grandmother who was a feeder. She raised a family of nine during the depression and I know that had something to do with it. I know it did on my mother and her siblings. I think all of them, to some degree, hoarded food. I get it.

For me, food is something that I saw as love and comfort. That was a direct result of my grandmother. She always said if you cook for your family, you cook to feed their bodies. If you cook it with love, you feed their soul. I absolutely agree with that statement. I’m pretty sure that I’ve witnessed it. Throughout my professional career in the food industry, I tried to keep that in mind. Whenever I set a menu, it was always in the back of my mind: will this feed the soul? I hope I made a difference. I did try for the most part.

Where am I going with this? I need a little comfort in my life right now. It’s a little chilly here in sunny Flo-rid-ia this morning, and I do have to go to the grocery store today, so I thought I might whip up one of my all-time favorite recipes. I found this one years ago when I was visiting New Orleans and ran into a chef acquaintance, John Besh, one of the best Louisiana Chefs I’d ever had the honor of meeting. Then I ran, literally, into Chef Rocco DiSpirito, a gorgeous hunk of a man, who can cook his ass off.

Anyway, I got to thinking… I want… Jambalaya!

So I am going to share this recipe with you so that you too can enjoy a little love and comfort. Warning though: the aroma as it cooks will drive you nuts it is sooo good.

I give you Jambalaya NOLA style!

1/2 pound bacon (diced) I like a thick cut smoked bacon

1 1/2 pound Andouille Sausage (diced)

3 tablespoon Lard yes, plain ol’ lard. Believe it or not, it is actually better for you than a lot of other oils out there on the market. Do NOT use olive oil. It burns

1 pound fresh Pork Sausage (removed from casings) I use a cheap sausage.

4 skinless boneless Chicken Thighs (roughly cut into 1-inch cubes) I go with the skin on thighs and leave the bone it. I’m not all that fussy and I like the skin.

Salt

Freshly ground black Pepper

1 large Onion (diced)

2 bell Peppers (seeded and diced)

3 stalks Celery (diced)

3 Garlic Clove (minced) I add more. I really like about 5.

2 cups converted Louisiana White Rice Regular long grain works too.

1 teaspoon dried Thyme

2 dried bay Leaves

1 1/2 tablespoons Pimenton de la Vera or smoked Paprika I bumped it up to 2 tbs

1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1 tablespoon Celery Salt

2 cups Canned Crushed Tomatoes

2 cups basic Chicken Stock

1 1/2 pounds Louisiana White Shrimp (or other wild American shrimp; peeled and deveined) Use some nice shrimp.

1 bunch Green Onions (chopped)

Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat until it is hot, then reduce the heat to moderate. This will allow the heat to be uniform all over, preventing those little hot spots that are likely to burn.

Render the bacon with the sausages and the lard in the hot pot, stirring slowly with a long wooden spoon or a spade. While the pork is rendering, go ahead and season the chicken thighs with salt and black pepper. Add the chicken to the pot, stirring, and cook until the chicken becomes golden brown, about 5 minutes.

After the chicken has browned, add the onions to the pot and allow them to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Add the bell peppers, celery, and garlic, celery and cook for about 5 minutes. Continue stirring from time to time so that everything in the pot cooks evenly.

Next add the rice, thyme, bay leaves, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, black pepper, and the celery salt to the pot and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.

Increase the heat to high and add the tomatoes and Chicken Stock to the pot. Bring the stock to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

While the rice is cooking in the covered pot, season the shrimp with salt and pepper and save them, along with the green onions, to be added at the last minute.

After the rice has simmered for 15 minutes, go ahead and remove the lid from the pot and fold in the shrimp and green onion. Turn off the heat and let everything continue to cook in the hot covered pot for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff the jambalaya, and serve! I like to finish off with a sprinkle of ground file and a big splat of butter!

I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I do. You can always add a little hot sauce at the end if you like a little more heat, as I do. Let me know if you like. I may throw out a few more favs.

Remember, take comfort in the things that you can and give love and hugs to those close to you. Have a grrreat month, y’all.

Max