IN THE POT | JAMBALAYA (SLOW COOKER STYLE)

This month I’m all about trying out new meals and expanding my repertoire in the kitchen.  I want the Little Man to grow up not afraid to try new culinary adventures and how can I expect him to do that if I won’t.

So, I’ve made something that I’ve heard about often but never been game enough to try; until now.

Jambalaya…

(I dare you to try and say it without saying it like Newman… you can’t… once you’ve heard it you can never go back! Never!)

I watch a lot of Top Chef and this is something that someone makes at least once a season.  (And every time a judge asks them whether they thought it wise given the time constraint and how long this should cook for to bring out the flavours…)

With Autumn officially upon us I decided it was now time to permanently get the slow cooker out and get back on the slow cooker wagon. (I love my slow cooker, I don’t know what I did before I found it!)  However, don’t get too excited this recipe does require some pan cooking in the start up.

It was really simple to do and it’s just like a big stew or sorts.  I really enjoyed it, however next time I think I’m just going to buy some nice sausages and cook those up and add them in because I found the smoked sausage too overpowering.

The original recipe called for the use of ‘Rotel type tomatoes’ – I had NFI what they were so I let google educate me. Turns out it’s canned tomatoes, green chillies and some secret spices.  We don’t have that at our local Coles – so I just purchased tinned tomatoes and a jar of Old El Paso Jalapenos.

I was worried about the heat from the chillies but it was really mild.  I did make sure I didn’t eat any of them though – I picked them out and gave them to HUBBY.

This version doesn’t have prawns in it, but I am tempted to give that a go.  I think the flavouring from the sauce would be great with prawn.  Overall, I class this as a success and we’ll be having it again.

Because the recipe I used is a American I had to tweak it a little to fit with the ingriedients I could find here in Australia.  So here’s this is my version (you can find the original here: Prairie Cottage Rose):

Jambalaya – Gnome Style

1 bunch shallots, diced

1 onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1  of each; red, green and yellow capsicums

1 pound smoked sausage, sliced

2 chicken breast, diced

2 x 800g tinned diced tomatoes

1 dessert spoon bottled Jalapeno chillies (and a little of the juice)

1 can cream of chicken soup

3 cups chicken stock

Salt/pepper to taste

2 cups cooked rice, to serve

1. Heat a large non-stick pan.  Saute the green onions, onion, celery and capsicum.  Empty the vegetables out the pan and into the slow cooker.

2.  In the same pan sear the chicken. Empty the chicken (and it’s juice) into the slow cooker.  Do the same for your sausage.

[We were unable to find smoked sausage but our butcher (at Griffith Butchery) gave us sausages he was just about to smoke and told us just to cook the sausage in a pan (or on a BBQ) and then add to the Jambalaya – so that’s what we did.]

3. Add the tinned tomatoes, Jalapeno chillies (now, this adds the kick to the recipe so you decided how much or how little to add – I used a dessert spoon of them), chicken soup and chicken stock to the slow cooker.

4. Cook on low heat for 6 – 8 hours or high heat for 4 – 5 hours. (I actually think this is one of those recipes where the longer you can leave it cooking the better it will be!)

5. 15 minutes before serving add the 2 cups of cooked rice to the slow cooker and stir through.  Once the rice is heated through serve.

[I just made 2 cups of rice up in the rice cooker and then added it to the Jambalaya just before serving.]

Serve with crusty buttered bread.

Original recipe source: Prairie Cottage Rose

Note: Prairie Cottage Rose suggests that if you would like to add prawns to your Jambalaya (which I think is how it’s normally served) add in the last 10 minutes of cooking time so they won’t be over cooked.