Southern Style Shrimp Jambalaya Recipe

Several years ago my husband and I took a trip down to Alabama and met a woman who ran a little diner-style restaurant on one of those back roads in the country. My husband ordered the Shrimp Jambalaya and enjoyed it. We asked her for the recipe and she said she would be back in a few minutes. About 10 minutes later, she hands us a slip of paper with her recipe handwritten on it.

We live in the Mid-Atlantic states so eating Southern-Style food every day is something we don't get to enjoy too often. Now when we make Darla's recipe, it brings back fond memories of our trip down to Alabama.

The only changes we make from her original recipe is that we like to use large sized shrimp and we use only a 1/2 of an onion. You can make the recipe with our changes or with her original version.

Shrimp Jambalaya

1 large onion, finely chopped

1/2 medium green pepper, chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 lb. of raw medium sized shrimp

1 cup uncooked white rice

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 can (16 ounces) whole tomatoes

1/2 lb. sausage (cooked and chopped into bite-sized pieces)

In a stock pot, combine the chopped onion, green pepper, garlic and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Saute these ingredients over medium heat for 3 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and cook for 5 minutes or until they are no longer pink. You will need to stir it frequently to prevent sticking. Remove shrimp mixture and set aside in a bowl.

Cook the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and the rice in the stock pot over medium heat, stirring often, until the rice has browned. This will take 8-10 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, salt, pepper, thyme, crushed red pepper and can of whole tomatoes. Heat this mixture to a boiling and then reduce heat. Cover and simmer until rice is tender (about 12-15 minutes).

Stir in the shrimp mixture and the chopped sausage. Cover and continue to cook until shrimp and sausage are hot. Serve immediately.

This recipe will make 4-5 hearty servings.

Shelly Hill has been working from home in Direct Sales since 1989 and is a manager with Tupperware. Shelly and her husband enjoy traveling and trying out regional recipes and food. You can visit Shelly online at http://www.workathomebusinessoptions.com or her recipe blog at http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com or additional free recipes.