The Best Damn Jambalya

Boy does my beau know how to make some Jambalya. I've never been a huge fan of this dish because I don't like spicy food; therefore, I would never even dare to order this in a restaurant. He made a batch one Sunday afternoon and while it burned my mouth from the spice, the dish wasn't too bad. I asked him to make it next time with less - or no - cayenne pepper. When he did this (as well as buying a mild andouille sausage) it was out of this world! What a fantastic recipe. Please branch out of your comfort zone and try this. We put a pinch of cayenne in it so that it isn't spicy, but you still get that pepper flavor. Everything else is done as is and IT IS AWESOME! Enjoy :)

Recipe courtesy Better Homes and Gardens

- 1 lb shrimp (uncooked, peeled and deveined)
- 2 TBS cooking oil (veggie, olive oil, etc)
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped green pepper
- ¼ cup chopped celery (1 stalk)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 - 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
- 8 oz Andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into ½ inch slices
- ¾ cup uncooked long rice (recommend white, not brown rice)
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper - SPICY (see note above)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup cooked cubed ham

Thaw and rinse shrimp, set aside. In a12-inch skillet, add oil and cook onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic over high-medium heat until tender. Stir in broth, undrained tomatoes, sausage, rice, thyme, basil, cayenne pepper,  ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and bay leaf.

Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Stir in shrimp. Return to a boil. Simmer, covered, about 5 minutes more or until shrimp turns opaque and rice is tender. Stir in ham and heat through. Discard bay leaf.