This is a recipe I concocted a couple years back and we had it for supper again last night. By itself it's not that hot because my wife can't take the heat but loves this dish so I add more cajun seasoning and cayenne to my bowl. I asked several BB folks that live in Louisiana if it was an actual Cajun recipe and was told that it wasn't jambalaya and wasn't quite shrimp creole so I felt free to name it "Johnbalaya"!
Johnbalaya
1 lb smoked sausage (two links) sliced in 1/4 inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced 1/4 inch
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (I used a quart of home canned)
1 12 oz can beer (can sub 1 1/2 cups water or low sodium chicken broth)
1 cup water, tomato juice or V-8 vegetable juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
2 15 oz cans red beans, drained and rinsed
1 12 oz bag 50-60 count cooked shrimp, tails removed
1 cup uncooked Minute rice
Put sausage, onion, celery, bell pepper, tomatoes, water or juice and beer into a 6 quart Dutch oven or stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Add garlic powder, Lawry's seasoning, Old Bay seasoning and Cajun seasoning and cook 10-15 minutes or until celery is almost tender.
Bring back up to a boil and add the beans, shrimp and rice and stir to mix. Cover, remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes for the rice to cook. Enjoy!
Makes 4-6 servings.
John's Note: I used a 32 oz jar of home canned tomatoes and I rinsed the jar with about a cup of water and added it to the pot, so I added a cup of water, tomato juice or V-8 to the recipe.
I searched for years for a Cajun seasoning that didn't taste salty, most do to me. If you have a salty tasting Cajun seasoning, you may want to eliminate the Lawry's.
