Jambalaya
Ingredients
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1½ pounds andouille or kielbasa sausage, ½ inch thick
8 bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1½ cups yellow onion, chopped (1 large)
2 red bell peppers, seeded and large-diced
2 cups celery, large-diced (3 large stalks)
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño peppers (2 peppers)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (4 cloves)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 Tablespoon Tabasco (or use more if you want it spicy)
2 bay-leaf
2 Tablespoon Maani’s Tandoori Masala Spice Blend
1 cup dry white wine
5 cups chicken or beef stock
2 1/2 cups extra-long-grain white rice, such as Basmati
1 pound (16- to 20-count) shrimp, tails on, peeled and deveined
½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish
½ cup sliced scallions, white and green parts, plus extra for garnish
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a very large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the sausage, and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, turning the pieces until browned. Remove the sausage to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the pot, skin side down, and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, until browned. With tongs, turn and cook for another 5 minutes, until browned. Remove to the bowl with the sausage and set aside. Don’t be tempted to cook both together; they won’t brown properly.
Add the butter to the oil in the pot, then add the onions, bell peppers, celery, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and cook over medium to medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, thyme, cayenne, and 1½ teaspoons salt, Maani’s Tandoori masala and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the white wine and scrape up the browned bits in the pot. Add the stock, tabasco, rice, sausage, chicken, and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and simmer covered for 5 more minutes. Off the heat, stir in the parsley, scallions, and lemon juice. Cover and allow to steam for 10 to 15 minutes, until the rice is tender and the shrimp are fully cooked. Discard the bay leaves sprinkle with extra parsley and scallions, and serve hot.