Cajun Jambalaya

Hi friends! No, I did not forget you, life just became a bit more hectic lately that I could barely share to the world  what was cooking in my kitchen. But now that I had some free time, look at what I was able to accomplish! *wink* *wink* I hope you like my new blog layout. It took me half a day to figure out how to make things work, and I now have a deeper respect for programmers and website builders. ;-)

Anyway... today's recipe is brought to you by hubby's craving for jambalaya. This is my first time to make it because I always thought it would be easier to order it from our favorite Cajun restaurant. I still think it is, but I love that I can tweak the heat and spices of my home-made jambalaya. 

I followed Emeril's basic recipe from here, but had to make some adjustments to suit our taste (and because I don't have some of the ingredients!). It turned out really, really good - so good we fought for the leftovers!


What you need:

12 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut into smaller slices (about 3 cuts per shrimp)
1 small chicken breast (about 6 to 10 ounces)
1/2 pound beef kielbasa sausage, coined
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning (recipe below)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil  
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Vidalia onion
1/2 cup sliced green bell pepper
5 large cloves of garlic, roughly minced
1 cup Roma tomato, diced (about 1 large tomato)
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
1 cup rice
3 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste


What to do:

Combine shrimp, chicken and seasoning (just one tablespoon!) in a bowl and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the fridge.

Heat a large pot or saucepan, saute onion, garlic and pepper over high heat. Add tomatoes,  bay leaves, Sriracha, and Worcestershire sauce. Add in rice and broth. Reduce heat to medium until rice becomes tender, stirring occasionally (about 15 minutes or so). Add the shrimp-chicken mixture and sausage. Cook for about 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper, plus a bit of Creole seasoning. Stir, remove from heat and serve.

Creole Seasoning ingredients:

2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon Cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon dried parsley

Combine everything in a container and mix well.    


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Emeril's recipe for Creole Seasoning (or Bayou Blast!) calls for dried thyme. I used dried parsley instead.
2. Try seafood jambalaya! Or just meat (for those with seafood allergies). Next time I make this, I am gonna skip the chicken and use a pound of sausage instead.
3. Use long grain rice. I used short-grain because that is all we have in stock. So my jambalaya rice is a bit soft and sticky.
4. Substitute Sriracha with Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce.
5. Want more heat? Double the amount of Sriracha!
 

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Lime-Cilantro Rice

This rice dish was an attempt to copy a similar fare that we had from a Mexican restaurant several months ago. It didn't turn out exactly the same, but I always love to experiment and make adjustments to recipes, trying to find that perfect "taste" that my family would like.

Not to say that this dish was a failure - nope. It was delicious. Different, but delicious.

Lately, I have been utilizing my herb garden a lot and making dishes based on what I harvest (and I use that term loosely). This is why I love Spring - it marks the end of frosty days, and I see my plants come back to life. I am pretty excited because there were several sprouts from the pepper plant that hubby started several weeks ago. That was actually the third attempt at growing peppers - twice, we put them in small pots and tried to grow them meticulously but nothing appeared. I thought the seeds were bad, and just before throwing in the towel, hubby tossed the seeds in the pot where my tomatoes used to be. After a few weeks, I saw some slivers of green, and was very happy about it. Still am, actually. I just wish the birds would leave them alone - they seem to enjoy picking at the baby pepper sprouts. Aaargh!

Anyway, back to the dish.  I didn't include the meat recipe - I can't seem to find the paper I wrote the recipe on. :-( But the rice was awesome! And easy to make too! Try it!


What you need: 

1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 teaspoons fresh cilantro
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 1/2 cup water
dash of salt
juice of 1 small lime (or about 2 tablespoons)


What to do: 

Rice cooker method: Place everything in your rice cooker and cook according to manufacturer's instructions. Easy.

Stove top method: In a saucepan, heat oil over low heat. Add uncooked rice and lime juice. Stir. Add water and salt, bring to a full boil.

Cover the pot, turn down to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes.


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks: 

1. Using all the juice of one lime might be too tangy. Adjust according to taste.
2. You can also include the zest of the lime for added depth.
3. Instead of water, use chicken stock!

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Amateur Volcano Roll

 

Imitation crab (or Krab with a “K”) was BOGO at our local grocery store so we bought two packs. We wanted to be adventurous (I am using that term very loosely!) and make sushi. We couldn’t make the real ones because we don’t know where to get sushi-grade fish in the first place. So this is probably the best that we can do.

I did look for a recipe for Seafood Dynamite and copied it. We love the baked seafood that restaurants usually put on top of Volcano Rolls, so  we kinda’ tried to make it – minus the scallops, crabs, and shrimps of course. That left us with the krab (hahaha). It was still very, very good and we will make some again if the price (of krab!) is right.

I use premium rice

What you need:

2 sheets of dried Nori

2 packs imitation crab

1 avocado

about 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

squirt of Sriracha

4 oz cream cheese

1 cup cooked Sushi rice

1 tablespoon (or more) Sushi Vinegar

1 carrot, julienned

What to do:

First, make the Seafood Dynamite. Use the first pack of imitation crab. Cut each piece into about ½ an inch and shred them. Make sure most of the fibers are separated (if you have worked with krab before, you know what I am talking about. If this is your first time, then you will know very soon!)

Place shredded krab sticks in a bowl. Add mayonnaise and sriracha. Mix well. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for about 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to an oven-safe container, place on top rack of the oven and broil for about 10 minutes.

Cook rice per package instructions. While still hot, add vinegar and mix well.

Place a sheet of Nori on top of sushi mat. Get about a palmful of rice and lay it on the Nori, making sure it is flattened. This would be kind of tricky but it will be the base of your sushi so be patient!

Layer the krabs, carrots and cream cheese. They should be on the end part of the Nori. When you have layered them according to how you like them, roll the sushi by lifting the mat and rolling away from you. Make sure your roll is sturdy enough to hold the ingredients, yet not too tight as the nori might break.

Cut the logs  into several pieces so you would have about 7 or 8 small rolls. To assemble them, think of pyramid-building. Basically, you have to stack them on top of each other, but placing more on the bottom and less on the top. So if you have 8 segments, place 4 on the bottom, then 3 on top of them, then one segment on the very top. Like this:

 

Place some of the baked krabs on the rolls. Anywhere will work. But if you are aiming at a great presentation, try to place it in areas where it would look like a triangle to give the illusion of a volcano.

Add “flair” (hahaha) by dotting the sides of your plate with sauce (I used Hoisin sauce). Enjoy!

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. You can add chopped shrimps, scallops, or real crabs in the baked toppings.
2. Need more veggies? Use cucumbers with carrots!
3. Want more heat? Instead of hoisin sauce, use more Sriracha!
4. If your Nori seems too dry, wet it a bit by dabbing it with a moist paper towel.
5. Substitute Sriracha with Tabasco. Use more if you want spicier Seafood Dynamite.
6. Seafood Dynamite is best topped hot! Broil it about 12 minutes before serving.
7. No oven? Broil Seafood Dynamite on a toaster oven!

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Arroz con Pollo Valenciana ala Columbia

I was amazed when I saw this recipe online. And from the website of Columbia Restaurant itself! I felt that it was very generous of them to share the recipes of their delicious fares online. 

My family loves Columbia restaurant. We have been to three of their seven locations, and all of them are quite phenomenal. Our favorite, though, is the historic Ybor City branch where they feature Flamenco dancers every Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm. But of course, we don't go there for the dancing. We go there for the food!

Anyway, I was thinking of making regular Yellow Rice and Chicken, but I didn't have saffron, so I took the short cut again - using pre-packaged yellow rice. As I was browsing for recipes online, I stumbled at Columbia's recipe, and decided to copy bits and pieces of it. I was really excited, the prospect of making those delicious recipes in my kitchen was just too much! A serving of Arroz con Paella Valenciana at Columbia is $24.95 (not including tax and tip), but I could make it at a fraction of the cost at home.

And as expected, it was delicious!!! All that was missing was the Flamenco dancers, the fine ambiance and the polite waiters. But even though the restaurant's recipes are online for home cooks to reproduce, I still encourage you to try Columbia Restaurant's authentic Cuban dishes. No, this is not a sponsored post. I just happen to like the resto and am spreading the love. :-)

P.S. Don't forget to try their Boliche Criollo and 1905 Salad!


What you need:

1 pkg (16 oz) Vigo yellow rice
4 cups chicken broth
1 lb chicken breast, cut in cubes
4 pieces chorizo, coined
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1/4 Vidalia onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup peas
1 tomato, sliced
2 tablespoons white wine
pinch of salt
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil


What to do: 

Cook yellow rice according to package directions. However, substitute water with chicken broth.

Heat olive oil in a wok over medium-high. Saute garlic and onion for about a minute. Add chicken and continue cooking until chicken starts to brown. 

Add the bell pepper, peas, tomato slices, and chorizo. Season with salt. Pour in the white wine, and cook for another five minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer the cooked rice to the pot and mix well. Serve hot.


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks: 

1. Original recipe called for asparagus tips, and roasted red bell pepper. I tweaked my recipe.
2. Substitute chorizo with smoked sausage.
3. Since you are dealing with poultry, cross contamination may happen. Make sure you always wash your hands when handling raw chicken, and use a separate cutting board that you use ONLY for chicken.

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