Kick Box Jambalaya Up a Notch

One thing I miss since leaving Louisiana is the delicious food. My favorite south Louisiana dish has to be Jambalaya!

Jambalaya is a social dish found at family gatherings, sporting events, or any occasion where there are lots of mouths to feed. It can be served as a meal or a side item with BBQ or seafood. Jambalaya is very flexible and recipes can be multiplied to feed 100 people easily; only limited by the size of your pot. But what if you don't want to feed 100? Box Jambalaya is a good option for a fast dish that involves very little prep.

While not a complicated dish, jambalaya recipes often call for bell pepper, onions, celery, garlic, vegetable oil, butter, kitchen bouquet, hot sauce, cajun seasoning, beef bouillon cubes, and rice. Box jambalaya has all this in a package that is not only convenient but also cuts down drastically on prep time.

(1) Box of Jambalaya Dinner Mix

3 1/3 cups of Water (27.75 fluid ounces)

1.5 pounds of meat* (24 ounces)

>The box list Seafood, Sausage, Ham, or Precooked Chicken I use 0.75 pounds of Sausage and 0.75 pounds of Bacon

Not Listed on the Box

1 cup Sweet Peppers (8.3 ounces)

1/2 cup Onion (4.15 ounces)

Dutch Oven or Cast Iron Pot

The box mix list precooked chicken or sausage. This is fine when in a time crunch. However, a big part of the color and flavor of a good jambalaya comes from the gratin formed at the bottom of the pot. In grandma's recipe, she started by browning pork butt or chicken in the bottom of the pot. She'd let that simmer with fresh, chopped veggies to start her jambalaya with a good base. The box jambalaya includes "dehydrated onion, bell pepper, and garlic". That's fine, but by taking an extra few minutes to brown the meat and sauté some extra vegetables this box meal will go from good to Ça c’est bon!

I like using bacon for this step because of the natural fat.

I decided to split my 1.5 pounds of meat into 0.75 pounds of andouille sausage and 0.75 pounds of bacon to make a sausage jambalaya. I prefer andouille which is a spicy, chunky pork sausage. The meat you choose can change the taste of final product so beware using something too exotic. I also could have used shredded chicken for a more mild flavor or marinated pork butt to cut down on the bacon grease. There is no one right choice.

> Put the pot on medium heat and add diced bacon.

Since bacon is so fatty, I do not add any extra oil. I let the bacon cook for a few mins, moving it around with a wooden spoon, until I start to see the bacon grease on the bottom of the pot. After I see the grease,

> Add the chopped veggies.

We like vegetables in our house and more fresh veggies can only help the dehydrated ones in the box mix. A traditional jambalaya does not include sweet peppers but I like the pop of color they add and prefer them to bell pepper when cooking. For this recipe, I chop up five whole sweet peppers or approximately one cup. I also add a half cup of onion and allow the veggies and bacon to brown.

The gratin (or gradoux/gradoo) is the crust that forms at the bottom of the pot. This crust is full of flavor and is a must for any jambalaya. The key is to allow the vegetables to simmer in the bacon fat (or oil if not using bacon) and as you see the crust forming in a part of the pot, scrape it up with your spoon. If it is stubborn, a splash of water will usually do the trick. Continue this process several times being careful not to burn anything. The longer you allow these vegetables to brown, the darker your jambalaya will also come out.

Note: grease and water can have a violent reaction. When splashing the pot to free up the gratin, be cautious of grease splatter that may burn!

Now just follow the directions on the box. In this case, it is adding the water, cooked meat, and box contents. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

*The andouille sausage does not need to be cooked, so I do not add it with the bacon and veggies. If your chicken is cooked, add it at this step.

**The bacon adds extra grease that you may want to remove before adding the water and box mix.

After the 25 mins, turn off the heat and remove the pot lid. Let the jambalaya set up for a few minutes to thicken. From beginning to end, I spent 45 minutes on this dish. Longer than the 25 minutes on the box but much quicker than the 2-2.5 hours working from grandma's recipe. The extra 20 minutes of prep time with the bacon or pork and lagniappe veggies make all the difference. If you ever have an envie for jambalaya don't hesitate to grab a box off the shelf and give this method a try!