99 Cent Chef Jambalaya: Bloghungry Version

Bloghungry is looking to cut back on his day job hours a lot when the baby comes. That also means cutting back on the grocery bill a bit. I have been inspired by the food The 99 Cent Chef has been cranking out. For those of you in other areas of the country, California has 99 cent only stores that offer a surprising variety of foods. The 99 Cent Chef tries to use only ingredients that can be found at the 99 cent store.

If you don't have a 99 cent only store in your area, his recipes can still be cost effective and tasty. Watch the chef and his mom make an authentic jumbalya. Food network could learn something from the authenticity of these two. For my jambalaya, I added tomatoes and some wine and served it over sauteed spinach with my favorite skillet cornbread.

Bloghungry's Jambalaya (altered from 99 Cent Chef)

1 lb. boneless chicken breasts
1 lb. boneless pork
1 lb. spicy breakfast sausage links
1 onion choppped
6-8 cloves of garlic, minced or freshly chopped
1 green pepper, diced
2 cups rice (long cooking)
28oz can of diced tomatoes
3/4 cup white wine
3 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons of oil for browning meat
1 tablespoon of cajun seasoning (readily found at 99c only Stores)
Pepper to taste (add salt if you do not have cajun seasoning)

Cut or section meats into bite-sized chunks. Add oil and saute meat over medium heat in a large cast iron pot (any pot really - should hold at least 12 cups) until very brown for about 45 minutes; add sausage toward the end because it browns quickly (take out pork and chicken if too crowded for sausage.) Add chopped onion, garlic, cajun seasonings, pepper and sautee until tender. Add tomatoes with juice, wine, and water. Cover and cook all meat at low boil for about 45 minutes. Add rice and cook for 20 minutes more. Afterward, stir meat and rice, cover again, turn off heat and let stand for 15 minutes more while you have a glass of wine and set the table. Jambalaya freezes then reheats with a microwave nicely. It's a dish that tastes better the next day.

Comments

[Pete]

I love Jambalaya and I love his mom.

[Rhet]

I'm starved for some suol food in L.A. thanks for your help.

[terri]

This is really easy to make if you use leftovers. Leftover chicken from a rotisserie chicken you bought, leftover ham from Easter, etc. I will use a kielbasa instead of the breakfast links, but my recipe is pretty similiar. Authentic NO is to cook the rice separate and then use an icecream scoop to dump a pile of rice in the center of your soup bowl before serving - but there is no wrong way to make jambalaya. I made it once using tomatoes canned with jalapenos - mmmm.

[Bloghungry]

Admittedly, kielbasa is more authentic than spicy breakfast sausage links, but the breakfast sausage links were 99 cents and gave surprisingly great flavor. Also, I didn't miss biting through the sausage casing. I love sausage but more for the flavor than the texture of the casing.

[hinata]

LOVE your blog. I came across when I was browsing my favourite cupcake blog - cupcakeblog.com
I really like some of your ideas. Will try some day. You cook alot with wine. I have to try that out. I've made Jambalaya before except mine with shrimp and chicken stock instead of water. Yum!