Smoked turkey jambalaya

[uncle eddie]

It is cold, wet, windy and miserable outside with snow on the way and we still had about a pound of leftover smoked turkey breast. Jambalaya to the rescue!

I chopped up the remaining smoked turkey breast and used it as a substitute for the chicken. Still had plenty of andouille sausage and we went with double shrimp. It turned out great.

We planned to have a lot left over and would freeze it up for lunches and such, so we deliberately leave the rice out of it as it soaks up all the liquids. If we want rice we make it on the side and add it in to our serving.

Here is the final product:

 

[chilerelleno]

Right up my alley!
That looks really tasty.
Like!

 

[Scott Eisenbraun]

That's the way we like our Jambalaya too. Plenty of trinity, meats, and broth. Add cooked rice to it as wanted. indaswamp says it is similar to his pork chop gravy, which is trinity, Cajun spices, tomato sauce and pieces of pork over rice.

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

Damn Eddie, that looks awesome!

 

[ab canuck]

Mighty fine looking and I bet tasting Eddie!!! I could sure use a bowl of that today..... Point for sure.

 

[uncle eddie]

Thank guys -

I agree with the Scott's "meat trinity!" Meat meat and more meat...basically a good leftover stew!

 

[chilerelleno]

Meat Trinity?
I believe Scott was referring to the abundance of the veggies otherwise known as the 'Cajun/Creole Holy Trinity', i.e. onion, bell pepper and celery. There is plenty of them, they're chopped coarse and not overcooked which makes for a really hearty jambalaya.

 

[uncle eddie]

OK - but I am from Missouri - still learning. haha - Thanks for the clarification.
Harder than anything to find good andouille around here and the shipping charges from Louisiana are stupid high.

 

[indaswamp]

Looks good Eddie. Points. I'd eat that.

But as Scott mentioned, It's not considered jambalaya in Louisiana unless the rice is cooked in with the gravy. If the rice is cooked on the side, it's rice and gravy. Small technical point, and not a critic pointed directly at you per say, but it helps clear up confusion. Glad you gave it a go....

 

[chilerelleno]

OK - but I am from Missouri - still learning. haha - Thanks for the clarification.
Harder than anything to find good andouille around here and the shipping charges from Louisiana are stupid high.

Heck, I'm in Mobile, AL and it can be hard to find 'Good" Boudin and Andouille here.
I can only imagine what it's like up there.
Yeah, specialty food items and their shipping are very expensive.

I too am learning all the time about cooking.
Look up Holy Trinity, Mirepoix, Soffrito and Sofrito, the similarities and differences in these vegetable combos and how they're cooked and used. They're major flavor bases for making many dishes beyond their respective origins.

 

[indaswamp]

Posting for educational purposes...
"Jambalaya has become the best known rice dish in America. The origin of this dish cannot be disputed. When the early Spanish settlers came to New Orleans, in the early 1700's, they brought with them the recipe for their famous paella. Since the ingredients for paella were not to be found in South Louisiana, their recipe was quickly adapted to the products at hand. Oysters and crawfish replaced clams and mussels in the recipe. Andouille took the place of ham and the new dish emerged from the paella pans of the Spanish. Since the main ingredient in the dish was rice, the dish was named "Jambon a la yaya." Yaya is the African word for rice and there is no argument that the "black hand in the pot" had a tremendous influence on our jambalaya. Today, the dish is made with many variations and with whatever is available. The most popular combination, however, is pork, chicken and andouille." -John Folse

 

[indaswamp]

The melting pot of cultures here in Louisiana is one of the reasons for the unique variations of many dishes. New techniques mingled with traditional dishes from home with new ingredients and whole new dishes were created....

 

[gmc2003]

No matter what's it's called. I think it's calling my name. Man does that look good.

Point for sure.
Chris

 

[uncle eddie]

Look up Holy Trinity, Mirepoix, Soffrito and Sofrito, the similarities and differences in these vegetable combos and how they're cooked and used. They're major flavor bases for making many dishes beyond their respective origins.

I did look them up. I have been using them for years - never knew it by that name though. Thanks for pointing this out.

BTW - a passable andouille sausage is available at Walmart and several grocery stores. Name brand is Aidelle's...$5 or so for 4 links at Walmart. The grocery stores charge around $6.

 

[disco]

What a great use for the leftover bird! Big Like!

 

[HalfSmoked]

Awesome no matter how you served it I will take a bowl anytime.

Warren

 

[chilerelleno]

I did look them up. I have been using them for years - never knew it by that name though. Thanks for pointing this out.

Similar, I've a habit of laying everything out before a cook, sometimes for a pic, but mainly for the prep and cook to flow smoothly. Someone here told me the actual name for what I was doing, Mise en place.
Never knew about it, doesn't really matter, but it was cool to know the term.

 

[jbellard]

Hey uncle Eddie!

Not to belabor the point but I’m a visual learner. Here’s a pic of what indaswamp was talking about. The more traditional brown jambalaya. Made this batch a few months back and having great sausage definitely makes a huge difference.