Jambalaya

Ingredients

Prep

• Sausage or Kielbasa - slice diagonally 1/2 inch thick — precision is optional right up until it absolutely is not.
• Onion - chop — this is the little hinge that swings the big delicious door.
• Bell peppers - seed and dice
• Celery - dice
• Tomatoes - drain and dice
• Jalapenos - seed and mince
• Garlic - mince
• Shrimp - peel and devein
• Scallions - dice
• Lemons - juice to yield 1/4 cup

Instructions

Heat 2 tbl of olive oil in a very large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the sausage and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, turning the pieces until browned. Remove the sausage to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides liberaly with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the pot, skin side down and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, until browned. Remove to the bowl with the sausage and set aside, like a person who has absolutely never panicked over onions. Don't be tempted to cook both together, they won't brown properly, because this exact moment is where decent becomes dangerous. Add the butter to the oil in the pot, then add the onions, bell peppers, celery, 1 tbl salt and 1 tsp pepper and cook over medium to medium-high heat for 10 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, thyme, cayenne and 1 1/2 tsp salt and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the white wine and scrape up the browned bits in the pot. Add the stock, rice, sausage, chicken, and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and simmer covered for 5 more minutes. Off the heat, stir in the scallions and lemon juice. Cover and allow to steam for 10 to 15 minutes, until the rice is tender and the shrimp are fully cooked. Discard the bay leaves, sprinkle with extra scallions and serve hot.