Hello, friends! After a brief encounter with the fearsome pollen gods, I’m happy to be back to cooking and nose-breathing this week! And not a moment too soon because just before my untimely allergy demise, I had received not one but TWO new cookbooks to dive into!
So it only seemed appropriate to make my inaugural recipe from Serena Wolf’s The Dude Diet something spicy enough to clear up my clogged sinuses: JAMBALAYA.*
After sautéing some potent andouille sausage with peppers and onions, I added in diced tomatoes, chicken stock, brown rice, and a healthy amount of cayenne pepper, among other spices.
The whole apartment smelled like pork, and I wasn’t mad about it.
The recipe also calls for shrimp, but since Picky Boyfriend is allergic, I got out of needing to add that** 🙂
The verdict
This was dee-licious!
The andouille brought so much smoky and spicy flavor, and the rice was stewy, saucy, and satisfying.
I’ll admit that I wasn’t sad about not making the shrimp at first. But after trying the jambalaya, I’m actually really curious what it would taste like with seafood in it since the sausage is so porky. It will shock you to know that I’ve never really experienced “surf and turf”, and my interest is officially piqued.
The recipe says to serve with your favorite hot sauce, but since mine was so stew-like already (and pretty spicy), I opted out. But now I’m wishing I had tried it with a little Old Bay hot sauce since I at least associate that with Maryland blue crabs, which is close to adding seafood to my jambalaya, right?
You might be asking yourself where all this brazen pescatarian talk is coming from. And that can only mean one thing: you don’t follow me on Instagram!
Because if you do, then you saw the life-changing news on my Stories recently: I ate and enjoyed mussels the other day.
*Mic drop, cue the screams, dramatic zoom-in on shocked faces*
With one tipsy lunch out in the sun, I turned into a hot shot who’s not afraid of a little seafood in her jambalaya! It’s a brave new world over here at The Picky Eater Chronicles.
Serena’s recipe will be going in the (not-at-all) official rotation, and one day when I’m feeling frisky, I may even attempt to cook some shellfish at home to add to it (and I will blog about it). What’s your favorite surf and turf combo? Let me know in the comments below or on Instagram @thepickyeaterchronicles.
*NOTE: The premise of The Dude Diet is to make your favorite comfort foods healthier. So if this doesn’t sound like the authentic jambalaya of your dreams, that’s why. Don’t come after me.
**ANOTHER NOTE: Want to hear a picky eater fun fact? My go-to Chinese food order is and always has been shrimp with garlic sauce, but it is the only time that I eat shrimp. I have fully convinced myself that I don’t like shrimp despite eating it with every Chinese takeout order my whole life. Make it make sense, people.
The Picky Eater Chronicles 