Jambalaya tribute to Mardi Gras

Happy Fat Tuesday, y'all. Which means you have a few more hours of gorging and sinning before the whole thing is over. Incidentally, I just found out Mardi Gras is the day before Ash Wednesday (which makes total sense) - so if you see people tomorrow with dirt on their forehead, don't tell them to wipe it off.

...but I digress. Anyway, with St. Louis laying claim to hosting the second largest Mardi Gras in the United States (outside of New Orleans) I actually knew when Mardi Gras was going down this year. While I didn't make the trek to the Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis to booze it up, I did catch the Preservation Hall Jazz Band concert Friday night at Powell Symphony Hall and it was fantastic. Like the food-lovin' homebodies we are, Daniel and I decided to pay a small culinary homage to the largest U.S. Mardi Gras location and make some jambalaya. The recipe is from Bon Appetit, March 1992 off epicurious.com for those that want fancy print options.

1. Assemble the ingredients:
   
   

   1/2 cup (1 stick) butter 1 red onion, chopped 5 green onions, chopped 1 large green bell pepper, chopped 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 jalapeño chili, finely chopped with seeds 2 bay leaves 1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

   1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 14 1/2-ounce cans chicken broth 1 16-ounce can plum tomatoes, diced, with liquid 3 cups long-grain rice 1 pound andouille sausage or hot Italian sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 3/4 pound ham, cut into 1/2-inch pieces



2. Melt the butter in a big pot.


3. Add the onions (red and green), bell pepper, jalapeno chili and garlic cloves and let cook until the onions are translucent.


4. Add the spices: bay leaves, Creole Seasoning, ground cayenne pepper and dried oregano.


5. Add the meat (we did andouille sausage, ham and also threw in some leftover roasted chicken.)


6. In a separate bowl, rinse the rice and drain.


7. To the rice add the tomato paste, chicken broth and diced tomatoes.


8. Add the rice mixture to the pot, bring to a boil and the let simmer until the rice is cooked. Stir often.


9. Laissez les bon temps roule!