Super Bowl Sunday is just a few days away. What should I eat? It’s certainly hearty, yet easy to prepare. It’s a big pot that you can leave simmering on the stove for you and your guests to dip in as needed.
Rod Dreher, a Louisiana native and Budapest-based expat and versatile foodie, recommends taking advantage of the jambalaya option. he writes:
Good morning from the banks of the Danube (“It’s not the Mississippi, but it’s tomorrow”™). What a wonderful request! I’m happy to share the best jambalaya recipe I know. It belonged to my late father, and his grandchildren used to call him “Po”. Since Uncle Ben isn’t here, I use regular rice, but I can’t remember off the top how to adjust the recipe, so I just cut and paste the recipe. It was a gift from my father, who passed away in 2015.
pau’s jambalaya
4 chicken breasts
3 links of andouille sausage (or kielbasa style smoked sausage)
3 stalks of celery, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 onion (chopped)
2 green peppers (diced)
3-4 garlic cloves (chopped)
Uncle Ben’s Converted Rice 2 cups
1/2 cup vegetable oil and 3 tablespoons for browning
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper taste
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
Boil the chicken in salted water and let it cool. Reserve about 4 cups of chicken cooking water for later use. Tear the cooled chicken into approximately 1-inch chunks.
Cut the sausage into 1/2-inch rounds and fry in 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
Sauté the celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in the remaining oil, adding 1 tablespoon if the pan is too dry. Remove vegetables with a spoon and reserve for later use.
Make a roux by adding oil and flour to a pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the roux is dark brown (a little more than the color of peanut butter, but well before it smells like it’s burning).
As soon as the roux reaches the desired color, add the vegetables, then the sausage and then the chicken. Add the reserved 4 cups of chicken cooking water, then add the rice.
Stir the entire mixture well. Add salt, pepper, bay leaf, and about 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper and stir again.
Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to as low as possible. Let it sit for an hour and check to see if the rice is fully cooked. Adjust seasonings and enjoy warm.
