Learning to cook creatively
This jambalaya recipe was featured in Ellen Delatte’s Cajun Cooking: Mardi Gras Traditions in the Kitchen class at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Va.
- 1 lb. boneless pork, cubed
- 1 lb. smoked sausage, cubed
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 2 large onions
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 celery ribs
- 1 medium bell pepper
- 4 cups white rice
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- ¼ tsp. rosemary
- ¼ tsp. oregano
- 8 cups water (chicken broth is tastier)
Chop all meat and vegetables before beginning to cook. Meat should be chopped into 1-inch cubes and vegetables should be chopped into ¼-inch cubes. Brown meats beginning with pork cubes; add sausage, then ground pork. Remove from pot and set aside while browning vegetables (next 4 ingredients). Drain grease. Put meat back into pan. Add rice and stir until well mixed and rice is slightly browned. Add water, salt, pepper and herbs. Bring to boil stirring occasionally to loosen bits of meat and seasoning that have stuck to the bottom of pot. If you use chicken broth, eliminate the salt and pepper. When most of the water has boiled out (when it is even with the top of the rice and there are holes in it), cover the pot and lower the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover, stir to blend, and then serve.