We’re moving on to part 5 of Emeril’s One-Pot Blogger Cooking Party today! You can find the first four dishes here. This one was sort of a no-brainer when Shane and I were deciding what to make. I’ve never been to New Orleans but to me it’s synonymous with dishes like jambalaya. And one of the chefs that immediately comes to mind when i think of New Orleans is Emeril Lagasse (John Besh is the other, in case you were wondering). I couldn’t really cook nine recipes from Emeril’s new book and not make jambalaya, could I? No, I didn’t think so either.
It was my first attempt at jambalaya – probably the first time I’ve ever eaten it in fact – but Emeril’s recipe is packed with all sorts of good things I knew we’d enjoy. Chicken thighs, andouille sausage, tomatoes, rice, herbs and spices (among others) – it’s a bit of a long ingredient list, but nothing unusual or hard to find. As always, I omitted the green pepper (one of the few veggies that gets no love at my house), and I also halved the recipe. The chicken thighs and sausage are browned, the veggies are caramelized just slightly and then a flavorful broth is created with tomatoes, chicken stock and spices. The rice is cooked in this broth and absorbs all the delicious flavor. I was most nervous about cooking the rice: would it absorb all the liquid and tenderize? would it be too mushy? would it overcook and stick to the bottom of the pan? Can you tell I’ve had rice issues in the past?
All the worrying was for naught because this dish was absolutely perfect. It’s moved into a tie with the bolognese for our favorite dishes from the book so far. The chicken was tender, the sausage was super flavorful and the rice was light and fluffy. We had plenty of leftovers, and they made for a great lunch when reheated. One-pot dishes that can be made in my Dutch oven are my favorite as the weather gets cooler. You can’t beat the simplicity, and because everything cooks together in just one pan, I find the meals are always incredibly flavorful. It also doesn’t hurt that my Dutch oven is a happy shade of green, and it’s one of the few pans Shane always takes care of washing since it’s quite heavy 🙂
Unfortunately, I can’t share the recipe for the jambalaya, but you still have a chance to win your very own copy of the book! Today is the last day to enter my giveaway, you can find all of the details here.
{Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders in exchange for participating in the party. All of the opinions expressed are mine alone.}
Might have to add this one to my list! Looks great. Mushrooms are the veggies that don’t get love at my house 🙂
This looks great! Every time I see a new post, I add another recipe to the list of recipes I want to make 🙂
This meal was soooo good, in retrospect I think it may have even eclipsed the bolognese! The leftovers were still just as good reheated, made for a great lunch at work on Monday. We should definitely plan on having this very frequently as far as I’m concerned, thanks again for making it!
I love jambalaya. This one looks so good. Could you please make sure I win a copy of the cookbook? 🙂
What a lovely welcome to the chillier autumn evenings. I love Jambalaya, the spicier the better!
Looks awesome Tracey! My poor book is dog eared beyond recognition!! 🙂
Wow! This looks as good as it smelled. I might have to add this to jack’s list of things to cook!
Love Jamabalaya, and was my first meal I prepared solo for my family in Nola at 15! Hope you can get there one day, you will love it! Your One Pot Wonder turned out Great! One of my favorite Chef’s besides the two you mentioned is John Folse. He stole my culinary heart early on! Check him out! 🙂
I thought I commented earlier but there’s nothing here. I adore a jambalaya type concoction. Anything with any sausage gets my attention right away.
Oh, wow! This looks terrific, Tracey! Off to enter your giveaway ~
Holy wow – this pot of heaven looks amazing. I may have to throw plans to the wind and make me a batch this weekend!
You’ve been so busy over here with such delicious dishes! Jambalaya makes a wonderful meal, and this looks like an amazing version. The downside to Dutch ovens is their weight, but looks like you’ve got that one solved!!
Looks fantastic. I am loving all the flavorful dishes from this book.
Looks great – there are so many interesting recipes in this book.
Sounds like a risotto but looks palatable and enticing. I would love to prepare my own version of it.
Looks delicious! I can’t wait to try this one out.
OMG!!!! I am loving all these recipes! Can’t wait until the book is ready to buy!!! This looks delicious!
This looks delicious!!! This is a brilliant recipe that I know I will be a real joy to eat. I am planning to make one for a lot of people. Thanks for sharing this. I’ll definitely make this at home.