My dear friend Diane (pictured above) who also happens to be the amazing Script Supervisor on Parenthood was kind enough to share her mom’s famous Jambalaya recipe (straight from New Orleans!). This recipe doesn’t get any more authentic or delicious—Happy Fat Tuesday!


WHAT YOU WILL NEED

  • Approximately 1 lb shrimp
  • 1 large, brown onion (or 2 medium)
  • 1 large green pepper
  • ½ c. green onions (finely chopped)
  • 2 15oz cans of whole tomatoes (or 1 28oz)
  • 1+ lbs smoked sausage (cut into bite-sized pieces)
  • Approximately 4 chicken breasts – cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 can beef consommé
  • 1 can chicken broth
  • 3 ½ c. uncooked rice (rinsed well, to remove starch as much as possible)
  • ¼ c. oil (for frying)
  • ¾ stick butter
  • ½ c. finely chopped parsley
  • 3-6 cloves garlic (depending on how much you like garlic)
  • Cayenne, black pepper, salt, Tabasco, etc., to taste— with whatever you like to season dishes

In a large saucepan, sauté chicken pieces in oil until just after you can tell they aren’t still raw. Remove chicken pieces and set aside to sauté peeled shrimp in same oil and add half of the butter, also until you can tell they aren’t still raw. Remove shrimp and sauté onions, green pepper, parsley and all seasonings you desire. Add garlic after a while and stir a few more minutes. Transfer all of this to a larger soup-type pot. Add tomatoes and their juice, breaking up tomatoes. Add cut-up sausage, chicken, shrimp other half of butter, consume and broth. Bring this mixture to a boil and add rice. Turn down heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to stir too much, because you don’t want it to get all mushy – but you don’t want it to stick to the bottom of the pan either! Serve hot and garnish with green onions on top of each serving. Serves 12-15.