Recipe: Jambalaya Linguine

I made this dish last night, and, while using the already-existing and wildly-successful recipe, I thought it needed an update. You’re welcome.

Now, before you think you’re in for an “authentic” trip to bayou, let me float a few warnings:

• I only use sausage – no shrimp, crayfish, goat, or whatever else they eat down there
• I use linguine noodles instead of rice. I used to make it with rice, but the kids didn’t like rice back then. Full disclosure: they don’t like it with linguine either 😦
• I am from Chicago

So, let’s dig in!

Eat it from a chipped pasta bowl – Monday night Jambalaya!

Jambalaya Linguine
Serves 6 (or two great big fat guys)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. linguine noodles
• 1 lb. polish sausage, cut in ~1/4” slices
• 2 green peppers, diced
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
• 1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken broth/stock
• 1/2 cup half & half
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1 large bay leaf (or 2 small)
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 3 Tbs butter
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt & black pepper
• Fresh parsley (optional)
• Hot sauce (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Start heating the water for linguine as you begin the other tasks. When the water is ready, start cooking the pasta. You want to time it so the pasta and the jambalaya are done at the same time. You can do this.
2. In a large pot on medium-high heat, sauté onion, green pepper, and celery in olive oil and 1 Tbs butter until tender – approx. 10 minutes.
3. In a nonstick skillet, cook the sausage slices in 2 Tbs butter until slightly crisp – approx. 5 minutes.
   

   You want the sausage to be crisp

4. Deglaze* the sausage with chicken broth/stock.
5. Add thyme, tomato products, bay leaf, 1 tsp pepper, sausage and chicken broth/stock to vegetable mix and cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
6. Check for salt – add some if needed.
7. Drain noodles and add to pot. Add half & half, stir, and cook ~5 more minutes: until all are incorporated as one dish.
8. (Optional) Sprinkle-on chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
9. Eat. Add hot sauce at the table.

FAQs

• Polish sausage? >> Ask a Polack to make jambalaya, and you’re bound to get kielbasa thrown-in there somewhere. I suppose a fancy person might tell you to use Andouille sausage or something, well, I’m not that person. The polish sausage adds the exact right flavor, and it’s cheap and easy to find. Also, try to use skinless sausage if possible. A thick casing on the sausage will toughen-up in the skillet…
  

  Check it out – three things at once!

  Vegetables, sausage, and pasta? How am I to cook three things at once? >> Yeah, there are a few tasks that should be done at the same time. Boil the noodles and cook the sausage WHILE you’re cooking the vegetables.

• Half & half? That seems out of place! >> It’s like a vodka tomato sauces that adds cream at the end. It’s just the right thing that the dish needs, but you wouldn’t think of putting it in there. Just add the half & half and enjoy my wonderful experimentation.
• Why hot sauce at the table? Why not spice-up the whole dish? >> This isn’t a chili contest, ok? Just ease-up on the spices, and allow the rest of us to spice-it on our own.