Creole Jambalaya

There are two variations of jambalaya, Cajun and Creole. They are both insanely delicious, but the difference between the two comes down to tomatoes. Creole versions incorporate them while Cajun ones do not. The term Creole originally referred to people who were born to the settlers in French colonial Louisiana. French Creole refers to people with European ancestry who were born in the colony, while Louisiana Creole refers to mixed ancestry. Creole food has a mix of cultural influences of New Orleans. Cajun cuisine got its roots from the French Acadian settlers in the swamps and prairies of southwest Louisiana, and their cuisine was more rustic.

As for jambalaya, I make mine somewhere in the middle of Creole and Cajun. I like tomatoes in the dish, but I go a bit lighter on them than most Creole recipes call for. You can't go wrong either way, so if you are plum out of tomatoes just add more chicken stock. I use chicken thigh meat because I think it has a richer flavor, but breast meat works well also. As for the spice level, I prefer a kick, but you can tone it down or rage on with even more heat!

Creole Jambalaya

1 pound chicken
1 pound andouille sausage
1 pound shrimp (peeled and deveined)
4 cups uncooked rice
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes (or 2 cups of fresh)
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups chicken stock
1 medium yellow onion
2 bell peppers
3 ribs of celery
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons gumbo file
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Parsley or green onions for garnish

Chop thyme and all veggies and set aside. Cut sausage and chicken into bite sized pieces. Heat a dutch oven to medium high heat, add olive oil and sausage, and brown for about 3 minutes.

Add chicken and cook another 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the holy trinity (onion, bell pepper, and celery) and cook until the celery is tender, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic and cook for another 1-3 minutes.

Turn heat down to medium and add rice, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of the gumbo file, and all of the other spices. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the rice has absorbed most of the tomato juice, about 3-5 minutes.

Add chicken stock and increase heat to bring to a boil, then turn down to medium low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring a couple times during this time frame.

Add shrimp and the other teaspoon of gumbo file and cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until rice has absorbed the liquid and is tender. Stir only occasionally towards the end so that you will not mush the rice.