John Besh's Jumbalaya

I have found a new show hosted by John Besh, one of my favorite chefs (hey that rhymes!). The show is called Inedible to Incredible. Basically friends and family nominate someone they think could be the worst cook in America. John Besh shows up, tastes their food (very brave move on his part) then remakes their "signature" dishes so they can actually be eaten. Some of the signature dish gems include: hamburgers with Special K and strawberries (yup strawberries IN the hamburgers), steak and fig newtons, puree'd veggies with frozen meatballs and sliced fake american cheese. YUM! While watching this show with Chad, John Besh makes a Jumbalaya recipe that had us drooling. The results were delicous! I'll admit, the andouille sausage was a little spicy for me. I think next time I'll put andouille in Chad's jumbalaya and a milder sausage in mine. I cut this recipe in half and we still had enough leftover for two lunch servings.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 pound Andouille sausage, diced
2 Tbs canola oil
1 pound fresh pork sausage, removed from casings
4 skinless boneless chicken thighs, roughly cut into 1 inch cubes
salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 onions, diced
2 bell peppers, seeded and diced
5 stalks celery, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 1/2cups converted Louisiana white rice
1 Teaspoons dried thyme
1 dried bay leaves
1 1/2 Tablespoons pimenton de la Vera or smoked paprika
1/2 Teaspoon celery salt
3 cups canned crushed tomatoes
3 cups basic chicken stock
1 bunch green onions, trimmed and chopped





Preparation:

1.First, you’ll need to heat a very large pot over a high heat until it is hot, then reduce the heat to moderate.This will allow the heat to be uniform all over, preventing those little hot spots that are likely to burn.

2.Render the bacon with the sausages and the lard in the hot pot, stirring slowly with a long wooden spoon. While the pork is rendering, go ahead and season the chicken thighs with salt and black pepper.

3.Add the chicken to the pot, stirring and cook until the chicken becomes golden brown, about 5 minutes.

4.After the chicken has browned, add the onions to the pot and allow them to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Add the bell peppers, celery, and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Continue stirring from time to time so that everything in the pot cooks evenly.

5.Next add the rice, thyme, bay leaves, pimenton, cayenne, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon pepper, and celery salt to the pot and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.

6.Increase the heat to high, and add the tomatoes and Basic Chicken Stock to the pot. Bring the stock to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

7.After the rice has simmered for 15 minutes, go ahead, remove the lid from the pot and fold in the green onions.

8.Turn off the heat and let everything continue to cook in the hot covered pot, for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff the Jambalaya, and serve!