Jambalaya with Shrimp and Sausage

One of the best parts of my job is the fact that our bosses support our interests outside of the four walls we work within.

A good friend of mine and the man that taught me the ropes of my current position has put together a two month long traveling art show covering 14,000 miles and about 55 US cities.

Um… impressive.

He starts what we have affectionately named his “paternity” leave tomorrow with his first show in Costa Mesa, California. My department at work (who share my love of good food) decided to send him off the only way we know how. With a potluck. A US states themed potluck to be exact. One where we each pick a different state and then pick a dish to make that represents that state.

I picked Louisiana. Not because I had a dish I wanted to make from Louisiana, but I thought I’d have a better time finding a dish I’d want to make that was from Louisiana as opposed to North Dakota or Delaware. No offence to either of the Dakotas or Delaware.

After much NOLA (New Orleans Louisiana for those who are not familiar with this acronym, since I wasn’t till about a week ago) I settled on jambalaya. It is a popular rice dish often served with sausage and shell fish.

Of course there is always a reason for how I come to these decisions. Here were the deciding factors.

Not too spicy.
Would keep well over night.
I had almost all the ingredients.

That my friends is how important decisions get made over here.

You will need…

1 cup long-grain rice
3 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 chicken broth
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 pound fully cooked smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices (preferably Andouille)


1/2 to 3/4 pound medium, fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined

Start by mixing the rice and ALL the spices in a bowl or plastic bag.


If you make it a plastic bag, you can multiply the mix recipe and save it for another time.


Then, in a large pot with a lid or a Dutch oven combine the rice mixture, the broth, the tomatoes and tomato sauce and the sausage.


Over medium high heat, bring the mixture to a boil. As soon as it boils, reduce it to a simmer, cover and let it cook for 20 minutes.


When 20 minutes have gone by, add the shrimp. Let the shrimp cook for about 7 minutes or until pink and cooked through.


Serve hot immediately.


And try to invite both shrimp lovers and sausage lovers so no one has to fight.

Oh, and if you happen to be in one of these cities at these times, you should check out Sean and his traveling art.


(Click the pic for a better view)

Tell him Angela sent you and buy him a drink!

Love and Beer Floats
Angela