Looking into my refrigerator, I realized I needed to use up some okra. I had some leftover cooked rice and roasted chicken and decided to make jambalaya. Is okra required for this? No, and even without it, I will generally always have the necessary ingredients on hand: onions, celery, bell pepper, rice; and chicken, shrimp, sausage…or a combination of all 3. Yup, shrimp and andouille usually live in my freezer and you will often find leftover roast chicken in my refrigerator or freezer and it’s fantastic for simple meals like this one.
No sooner had I uttered the word “jambalaya”, Michael insisted that it begin with a roux…I had envisioned a more Creole style jambalaya with tomatoes, but what can I say to this adorable guy who had his heart set on a roux base…See how much variety there is with food? I believe there is rarely, if ever, only one way to do something. The possibilities are endless.
If you’re starting with uncooked rice, add it to the pot once you have the other ingredients in there and enough water to cook the rice. Cover and simmer until done.
My Method
So, for the roux, I whisked together over high heat about a tablespoon of grapeseed oil and a tablespoon of flour until dark brown. This only takes a couple of minutes. For more on cooking a fast roux, please read Gumbo Ya Ya.
Chopped onions, bell pepper, celery and okra then go into the pot to keep the roux from burning. I poured a little beef stock in after cooking the vegetables for a few minutes. I had defrosted what I thought was chicken stock, but without labeling it, I wasn’t sure until heating it up. Doesn’t really matter. Flavorful liquid to get a sauce going is all you need to know. Again, if you’re cooking rice from scratch, you need more liquid. Meanwhile I was boiling the shrimp shells and used the resulting shrimp stock to finish the dish.
Sausage and garlic go into the pot next along with some spices. I chose:
- paprika
- French thyme
- red chili flakes
- smoked paprika
- oregano
- basil
I would normally put cayenne into this, but I was out of it, so substituted with the chili flakes. Black pepper and some hot sauce can round out the heat factor.
Once the vegetables are tender, I added the cooked rice and chicken to heat through. Shrimp and stock go in at the end because shrimp only need a couple minutes covered over low heat to cook. They’re done when they turn pink.
What About Leftovers?
Reinvent them for lunch the next day, of course. Eat all the shrimp the first day because you don’t want them to turn rubbery by reheating. To round out the remainder, I added some canned tomatoes and canned clams with their liquor. Heat just long enough to heat through. Served with corn, no one thought of this lunch as leftovers. It was just as delicious as if it was the original meal made from scratch.
Have you embraced your leftovers yet? They’re an awesome time saver. Think of them as a foundation upon which you can build with whatever you have on hand that appeals to you. Work smarter, not harder! Have some fun making simple meals everyone will enjoy.
Be prepared with Suggested Pantry Staples to whip up a quick dish like this one.