Jambalaya (jambon à l'ail ?)

For yesterday's lunch (and tomorrow's, probably) I made a big pot of the Louisiana rice dish called jambalaya [jã-bah-lah-yah in French) — I'm sure you know how it's pronounced in the U.S. You might not know that it's pretty easy to make, even though there are a lot of ingredients that need to be cooked separately (unless you buy them pre-cooked).

The first thing to do is to cut up and cook some chicken parts (boneless thighs or breast) and sauté them in vegetable oil with some bacon or other smoked pork. Cook the meats until they are browned (photos above). Don't be stingy with sliced onion, garlic, and celery and with and Cajun or Creole spices including thyme, oregano, paprika mild and hot, cumin, and black pepper.

As meat and seasonings cook, add some diced bell pepper, some okra (or green beans), and other vegetables you like, either fresh or frozen. Separately, cook some sausages (smoked de préférence) in a frying pan. When they're done, take them out of the pan, cut them up, and add them to the mixture of meats and vegetables (leaving as much fat as you deem appropriate behind).

We garnished our jambalaya with shrimp, which as usual in France were sold pre-cooked, and with fresh herbs at the table.

Add a cup or two (depending on how much meat you have cooked) of rice and between 1.5 and 2 cups of water or broth (I used shrimp broth that i had in the freezer). Also add some fresh or canned tomato (or tomato paste) to the liquid. Cook the jambalaya on top of the stove or in the oven, covered, for 30 minutes to an hour to make sure the rice is cooked and not crunchy.

When the rice is pretty much done, add (optionally) put some shrimp on top of it, put the cover back on, and let the jambalaya and shrimp steam until they're hot (or cooked if you use raw shrimp.