Instant Pot Jambalaya

Most of the work is in chopping the vegetables; the rest is done in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
14 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 celery stalks, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 tsp. Creole seasoning, divided
3/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup long grain rice
1 (14.5 ounce) fired roasted diced tomatoes
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 sliced green onions
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Turn Instant Pot to saute and add oil. Add sausage and cook, stirring, until browned, for about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Add chicken and cook, stirring, until browned, for about 5 minutes.
Remove and set aside with sausage.
Add onion, celery and peppers. Cook until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and cook one minute more.
Stir in 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning, thyme, salt, tomatoes, rice, Worcestershire sauce, broth, bay leaves and Tabasco. Stir in sausage and chicken.
Turn Instant Pot to Pressure Cook/High for 7 minutes.
Do a quick release and open the Instant Pot Do not open until the pin drops. Stir in shrimp, parsley and green onions. Cover the Instant Pot and turn it off. Let the residual heat cook the shrimp for about 10 minutes.

Crawfish Etoufee

It's Mardi Gras season and that means Cajun food. This is one of my favorite recipes for etoufee. I find 1-pound bags of cooked crawfish meat in the frozen section of our local grocery store. The recipe can also be made with shrimp, simply precook and chop the shrimp into 1/2 inch pieces.

Ingredients

1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup onion
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (reduce if you don't like it too spicy)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1 Tablespoon sweet paprika
3 cups chicken broth
1 pound cooked crawfish meat
White rice

Instructions

Make a roux by melting 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter in 12-inch frying pan. Gradually add the flour.
Cook, stirring constantly over medium-low heat until the roux is a deep golden color. This step may take up to  30 minutes. You want to achieve that dark golden color slowly without burning the mixture. The darker the roux, the more flavorful the etoufee.

In a separate skillet, melt 1 Tablespoon butter. Add onion and green pepper and cook until softened. Add spices and stir until blended.
Reheat the roux over medium heat. Add chicken broth and stir to blend. Add onions and peppers and simmer 10 minutes. Add crawfish.  Cover and cook over medium heat until crawfish are warmed and mixture is slightly thickened.
Cook rice.
To serve, place a scoop of rice in serving bowl and ladle etoufee over top.

Grilled Mango-Habanero Jerk Chicken with Red Beans and Rice

I tried this recipe last night from the January-February 2016 edition of Cooking Light magazine. It is a winner if you like a dish with a spicy bold flavor. This is one I will definitely have again.

Ingredients for the Mango-Habanero Sauce

1/4 cup golden rum (chicken broth can be substituted)
1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped
1 habanero pepper, seeded and chopped
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for the Jerk Chicken

3/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons canola oil
4 (6 ounce) skinless boneless chicken breast halves
Cooking spray
1 sliced green onion

Ingredients for the Red Beans and Rice

1 teaspoon canola oil
3 ounces kielbasa sausage, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt-free Cajun seasoning
1 (16 ounce) can unsalted kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked brown rice

Instructions for the Sauce

Combine rum, mango and habanero in food processor and process until smooth.
Transfer mixture to a small saucepan. Add vinegar, butter and salt. Bring to boil, stirring, and then reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer for about 6 minutes or until mixture is reduced to one cup.

Instructions for the Chicken

Combine all spices and brown sugar in small bowl. Rinse chicken breasts in cool water and pat dry.
Rub chicken breasts with oil and sprinkle evenly with the spice mixture.
Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat (or cook on outside grill). Coat pan with cooking spray. Arrange chicken on pan and grill about 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Instructions for the Red Beans and Rice

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add oil and sausage. Cook for about 4 minutes or until well browned. Add onions, green pepper and garlic. Cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened. Stir in Cajun seasoning. Cook one minute. Stir in beans and rice and cook for 3 minutes or until heated through.

To serve  (4 servings)
 Slice chicken across the grain into thin slices. Place a portion of red beans and rice on place.
Top with sliced chicken and drizzle mango sauce over all.  Garnish with chopped green onion.

Grilled Jerk Chicken

Serve this one for the big football game!
Lots of ingredients; BIG on flavor!

Ingredients

For the Jerk Paste

1 green onion, roots trimmed, coarsely chopped
3 - 10 Habanero chilies (depending on how hot you want it from slightly to off-the-chart!)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tablespoons peeled and chopped fresh ginger
1/3 cup fresh thyme or 2 Tablespoons dried thyme
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon dark rum

For the chicken

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 1/2 - 4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs or legs.
2 cups wood chips (if you want to smoke these on the grill)


Instructions

Put all the jerk ingredients into a food processor and process until a thick sauce is formed.
Set aside about 1/2 cup of the sauce and put remainder into a zip-lock plastic bag. Add the chicken and massage the sauce into the chicken until completely coated. Store in refrigerator at least 3 hours or over night.
An hour before serving, soak the wood chips in water.
Heat gas grill to high. Drain the wood chips and wrap in heavy duty foil. Pierce the top with a knife to allow the steam to escape. Place chips directly over heat. When the chips begin to smoke, reduce heat to medium. Add chicken to the grill. Cook 30 - 40 minutes, basting with the reserved sauce every 10 minutes or so.
You can also grill these without the wood chips. They still taste great without the smoke flavor.

Seafood Gumbo

This recipe is time consuming, but well worth the effort. It takes about 5 hours to make from dish from start to finish, When completed, you can feed a crowd! Serve it with crusty bread and a green tossed salad. Perfection!

Ingredients

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
3 large onions, chopped
8 stalks of celery, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
6 garlic cloves
1 package frozen sliced orka
4 pounds medium raw shrimp in the shells
4 quarts chicken broth
1 pound spicy sausage, such as andouille, cut into 1/2 inch slices and sauteed on each side to lightly brown
1/2 cup Worschestshire sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 large tomato, chopped
2 Tablespoons Pickapeppa Sauce (important ingredient)
1 Tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
1 pound lump crabmeat
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Freshly cooked white rice

Instructions

Make a roux by heating oil in heavy large pot over very low heat. Gradually add flour and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture is the color of milk chocolate. This is a slow process and can take up to 45 minutes. Put a stool by the stove as you will be stirring for a long time.
The darker the roux, the more flavorful the gumbo. Use a slow process so that the mixture does not burn.
Increase heat to medium. Add onions, celery, green pepper, parsley and garlic to the roux. Cook until the vegetables are very soft, stirring often, about 45 minutes.
Add okra to the mixture and stir.
Meanwhile poach the shrimp in boiling water to cover until pink. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid. Shell the shrimp.
Add shrimp liquid, chicken broth, sausage, Worchestshire sauce, ketchup, tomato, Pickapeppa sauce and spices to the roux mixture.  Simmer until thick, stirring occasionally, for about 3 hours. The gumbo can be prepared ahead up to two days ahead to this point. Cool completely; cover and refrigerate, then bring to boil again and continue with the recipe.
Add shrimp, crab and chicken to the gumbo and cook about 5 minutes.
Stir in brown sugar and lemon juice. Remove from heat.
To serve, spoon rice into bowl and ladle gumbo over it.
Serve hot sauces on the side for those who want it spicy.