A
lot of people believe they must be kitchen Jedi Masters to
conquer most cook book recipes. They are, in a word, intimidated
by those directions on paper. Well anyone can defeat any recipe
and become a kitchen warrior. Just remember that cooking is
more art than science.
Recipes
should always be adjusted to individual taste. If a recipe
calls for a seasoning that you don’t have, or don’t
like, guess what; you can leave it out! If a recipe calls
for cooking for 25 minutes and you find you prefer the item
a little more done, cook it longer. It’s your kitchen,
not the cook book author’s; take it back!
Here
is an example. Creole shrimp and sausage jambalaya is thought
by some to be too difficult to cook from scratch. Some say
you must have five spice seasonings. Others are adamant that
fresh chopped tomatoes are required. Well, here is a recipe
that includes none of that, and it is delicious.
Creole
Jambalaya
2
tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can (14 to 16 ounces) diced tomatoes with juice
2 bay leaves (I use more to taste)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Zatarains shrimp boil liquid (this is hot!)
2 1/2 cups chicken or shrimp broth or water (shrimp broth
is just the shrimp shells/heads boiled in water)
2 pounds peeled and de-veined shrimp
1 1/2 cup Zatarains parboiled rice
Sauté sausages in a separate skillet until the edges
are browned. Place on paper tower to drain fat. In a 5-quart
saucepot or Dutch oven, heat oil. Add onion, green pepper
and celery. Add garlic last so as not to burn. Sauté
about 5 minutes until tender. Stir in tomatoes (with juice),
bay leaves, thyme, salt, and chili powder. Mix well. Add shrimp
boil liquid. Stir in broth; bring mixture to a boil. Stir
in rice and sausage; return to boil. Reduce heat; cover and
simmer about 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in shrimp
during the last 5 minutes or so of cooking time. You know
they are done when they turn pink all the way through (you
don't want to waste perfectly good shrimp by overcooking).
ENJOY
Remember that cooking is not a science. If your rice needs
to cook a little longer, then let it do so. If it starts to
get a little dry, then add a little more broth/water. If you
want to remove the bay leaves after cooking, then that's OK
too. Don't let food intimidate you. It is there for you to
enjoy the way YOU like.
