Jambalaya Recipe (or Generic Rice Dish, You Be the Judge)

Alright, so here’s another recipe.  Now, it was inspired by jambalaya, or gumbo; to tell the truth I don’t really know the difference.  But, now you have it, so you can say, when you make it, that it was inspired by Kevin.  No more confusion, and you don’t have to explain anything to anyone.  

I made this recipe one night when I didn’t have a plan for dinner, and when I had bits and pieces of random food items here and there.  That’s a great skill to have, making food with little on hand.  I acquired it, honed it, and mastered that technique while in college.  One does not have much money to spare when in college but one must eat, so you deal with what you got.  Now, the great thing about that is anything that I have in the recipe can be replaced with something else, or completely left out.  If you only have a little bit of this and that, use it; whatever you make will be good and it’ll fill you up.

Pressure Cooker Jambalaya Inspired dish

1 lb bratwurst, cut into chunks
0.5 lb shrimp (uncooked)
1 c. rice
2+ carrots (diced)
1 bell pepper
1 c.+ broccoli
0.5 onion diced
4 garlic cloves
1.5-2 cups chicken broth

(try 1.5 c first. If you’re using bouillon, dissolve them first! Ask me why I say that...)

1 tbsp cajun seasoning (I used hawaiian cajun seasoning)
1 tbsp chili powder
1.5 tbsp thyme
0.5 tbsp ginger powder
0.25 tsp cayenne pepper powder

Have chicken stock ready by dissolving bouillon cubes.  Chop all vegetables.  Saute garlic and onion.  After smell is right (5-10 min), add in rest of vegetables, meat, spices and broth.  Set pressure cooker for 18 minutes.

Now, if you don’t have a pressure cooker, I’d say make your rice first.  Then, cook your vegetables for a bit in a frying pan, until they get soft.  Add the meat and the spices; cook until meat is almost done.  Finally, add in the rice and the broth.  Just let that simmer for 10-15 min.

So, that boullion cube... I was making it for the first time, and I have rarely used bouillon cubes before.  Without thinking, I just threw two of them in the pot, thinking they would dissolve before I put the lid on.  As I was stirring, I saw both of them not really dissolving as quick as I wanted them too!  I didn’t want to have a really concentrated broth zone, so I tried my best, jabbing and scraping at the cubes to break them up.  It took 5-10 min. extra time before I could put the lid on the pressure cooker, and I was hungry! It was a journey I don’t really want to repeat, especially if I’m hungry.

Let me know in the comment section what you think this is more like: Jambalaya, gumbo, or something completely different.  Also, if you’ve made it and added something different to it, let me know.

Picture source:
http://www.picturesof.net/pages/090912-179092-448054.html