Jambalaya

Jambalaya, originally uploaded by Sweet Sugarplums.

Here's another Frugal Gourmet recipe. It's pretty much as printed in "The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American". Feel free to use whatever leftover meats are on hand.

"Originally this dish, like so many dishes that have become classics, was designed to use up leftovers. The dish stands in that great tradition of frugal cooks who could not afford to throw anything away, or, in the more profound tradition, that good community of cooks who refused to throw out any edible leftovers. This bit of Cajun ingenuity is now common all over New Orleans, and there are as many variations on this dish as any one I know. I think I love them all!" - Jeff Smith, "The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American"

JAMBALAYA

1/2 pound bacon, sliced
1/2 pound cooked shrimp
3 tablespoons oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 green peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 stalks celery, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
28 ounces canned tomatoes, crushed with your hands, then drained, juice reserved
3 cups chicken stock, use a total of 3 1/2 cups liquid including tomato liquid
1/2 pound sausage links, Hot links, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup ham, diced
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 teaspoons thyme
salt and pepper
2 cups long-grain white rice

Cook the bacon until crisp. Drain and set aside.

Pan fry the sliced sausage until it just begins to brown. Remove the sausage. Saute' the rice in the drippings and remove from the pan.

Add a tablespoon of oil. Saute the ham, onion, green peppers, garlic and celery until the vegetables are tender. Add seasonings and liquid and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Add the rice and sausage and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in the bacon, shrimp and green onions and adjust the seasonings.

If using cooked rice, use 4 cups of cooked rice. Heat it in the pan. Use 16 oz tomato sauce and about 1 cup of chicken broth.

Per Serving: 609 Calories; 33g Fat (49.8% calories from fat); 26g Protein; 49g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 108mg Cholesterol; 1980mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 5 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 1 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.