Ham and Sausage Jambalaya

Sometimes, those little cookbooklets that you see at the grocery store have some really great recipes. This particular one, Favorite Recipes (1988) was put out by Tabasco Brand Pepper Sauce entitled Louisiana Cookin'. Yum, yum, yum. This is a great recipe to try Cajun style cooking without worrying about it being too spicy. I used frozen yellow and red pepper instead of green, so it looked very festive (and tasted great). We discovered that letting it sit for an hour or so, it tasted even better, so this is a good choice when you don't know when your company is going to arrive.

Ham and Sausage Jambalaya

Louisiana Cookin', Tabasco Brand Pepper Sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 package (about 20 oz.) kielbasa, cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 large onions, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth (see note)
1 can (16 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
1/2 pound cooked ham, cut into cubes
1 bay leaf (or 1/8 tsp. bay leaf powder)
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice

In large saucepot or Dutch oven, heat oil. Add kielbasa, onions, green pepper, celery and garlic; cook 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, ham, bay leaf, Tabasco sauce, thyme and allspice; simmer uncovered 15 minutes. Add rice. Dover; simmer 15 minutes. If necessary, add more broth or water and simmer until rice is tender. Remove bay leaf. Serve with additional Tabasco sauce, if desired. 6 servings.

Note: Original recipe says 3 cups chicken broth. I misread and put only 2. With so much juice in my canned, diced tomatoes, 3 cups would have been way too much, so I suspect that it may be a misprint. My suggestion? Start with 2 cups and be prepared to add 1 more cup of hot broth.