One year ago: Genius Solution to Pollution and Awakening

I love soup, and while tomato isn’t my favorite kind, I get a hankering for it every now and then. When that hankering occurs at midnight, the only thing you can do is grab a can of Campbell’s. *Ick.* I know, I was desparate. I tried to make it better by adding some oven-roasted tomatoes and using milk and chicken broth to dilute it instead of water. Okay, but not great. I had a lot leftover, and I needed something delicious and nutritious while studying for Criminal Law. (yes, yes, I am studying. The Rule of Lenny…uh…Lenity, and all that.)

I’m not sure if this is a jambalaya or just an extremely saucy risotto made with extra-diluted creamy tomato soup-broth. Anyways, it’s very filling and very good and very easy. It took me about 30 minutes maximum from kitchen to sofa, not including the 5 minutes it took me to make the marinade and the 1 hour where the stuff was soaking in the marinade.

Click here for recipe

Exam Week Jambalaya

The meat and marinade:
1 chicken breast, cubed
6 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Marinate while you’re studying defenses to crime (for at least one hour) in: ¼ cup ranch dressing, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 or 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 cup of leftover tomato soup (already diluted if from a can)

The vegetables
One can of corn, drained
A cup or so of steamed green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
Half an onion, diced
Garlic, a couple of cloves, chopped

The Rice
Liquid: one can of broth mixed with four cups of already-diluted tomato soup.
Two or three cups of cooked rice
Worcestershire sauce, a couple of dashes (optional, but it really adds a second layer of flavor.)
Chili sauce, to taste for heat

Note here: I used leftover soup - I had diluted three cans of canned condensed tomato soup with one can chicken stock and two cans milk, and then eaten about three or four cups from that. I used the rest of it in this dish. The milk in the soup is probably why this rice dish came out creamy. For this dish, you’re basically making a tomato broth for a risotto-style rice – it should be liquidy, not thick, so adjust proportions as you see fit.

1. Heat the tomato broth until boiling and keep it at a simmer or low boil, covered on the stove
2. In a large pan over medium high heat, heat some oil and sweat the onions and garlic. Add the corn and green beans and let cook for a couple of minutes. You don’t want the corn cooked to a mush; it should still be fresh and pop in your mouth when you eat the rice.
3. Add the cooked rice and turn the heat to high. Stir the rice around, letting it get toasted and drier for about 5 minutes. Add a good amount of stock and stir to let rice absorb it. Lower the heat back down to medium high.
4. Keep adding stock and stirring as the rice absorbs the liquid until it is the consistency you want. Reserve about ½ cup of the broth liquid.
5. Add a few dashes of W. sauce and chili sauce to taste. Turn down the stove and keep the rice hot while you cook the meat. (or if you’re super skilled, you can do the rice and meat at the same time).
6. In another pan over medium high heat, add the chicken and cook until just done. Do the same with the shrimp. You don’t need to remove the meat from the marinade, just pour it all in – but I did start the chicken first, and then added the shrimp after a few minutes since they have drastically different cooking times.
7. Pour in the ½ cup of reserved broth (or however much you have left), scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan.
8. Put the rice into a serving dish. Pour the saucy chicken and shrimp on top. I didn’t have any, but some fresh chopped green herbs (especially cilantro) would be great on top.
9. And yes, I am studying. I wrote this recipe on the bus on the way to school so I’m not wasting any study time.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 at 9:26 am . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.