Adventures in Crock-Potting #2

The recipe for my second crock pot adventure came as a recommendation from a co-worker. It could not have come at a more opportune moment, as I found myself relishing some good, spicy, southern cooking. I used this recipe to make crock-pot Jambalaya with relatively successful results.

I didn't go shopping specifically for this dish, which meant I had to improvise a little bit with a couple ingredients. Most notably, I left out the celery (didn't have any, none at my little crummy corner store). Celery is generally used as an aromatic- a way to add a little flavor to stocks, broths, stews, etc. So I figured this dish would survive without it. I also didn't really like the idea of chunks of celery in my Jambalaya. Just didn't seem right to me. So that was out.

I also didn't have any pre-mixed Cajun/Creole Seasoning, but that was easily overcome by mixing up a batch of my own with spices I already had around (mostly Cayenne, Salt, Garlic Powder, Paprika, Red Pepper Flakes). In fact, this ended up working out better for me in a lot of ways, as I was able to add a little extra spice to suit my need for heat.

The one substitution that was a slight bummer was that I didn't have any andouille sausage. I thought there was some in the freezer, but I was wrong. Instead, I used spicy italian sausages. They worked fine, and had enough heat (spice-wise) to serve the function of the sausage, but definitely added a bit different spice flavor, whereas the andouille would have matched pretty well with the Cajun Seasoning. So not a huge loss, and I'd do it again if I needed to, but probably slightly less than ideal.

The other question was what to do with the rice. I didn't like the idea of serving my Jambalaya over rice. For me, the rice is an integral part of the dish and needs to spend at least some time stewing with the other ingredients and spices. I was too unsure to fully cook the rice in the crock pot with everything else, so I ended up taking the middle road and cooking the rice separately and then adding it to the crock pot for the last 20min (or so) of cooking. When I cooked the rice, I used half chicken brothe (I had extra) and half water for a little extra flavor. This ended up working out great and also helped absorb some of the extra liquid from the crock pot. Next time, I might try taking some of the liquid from the crockpot and cooking the rice in that (with some water). We'll see.

These last points highlight the main issue with this recipe- I ended up with a bit too much liquid in the crock pot. This isn't a huge deal, as I just scooped the good chunkies out with a slotted spoon. That said, if I try using some of the Jambalaya liquid to cook the rice it might help both add flavor to the rice and reduce some of the liquid in the pot.

I like this recipe and I would definitely make it again. For any of you who try this at home, if you like spice (like me) make sure you double (or more!) the amount of cajun seasoning or have some louisiana hot sauce (Crystal, Tabasco) on hand to add later.

Adventures in Crock-Potting #1

We received a crockpot/slowcooker as a holiday gift this year. It's taken us this long to finally get the thing out and start playing with it. Our first attempt came from a recipe found by mama Newman for Shredded Chicken Tacos. The beauty of this recipe (and slow cooker recipes in general) is that dinner can be ready when I get home. I tend to work late sometimes, add that to my decent length commute and sometimes its hard to find the motivation to shop and cook. Drop everything in the pot before heading to work, turn it on low for 6-8 hours, and voila! Dinner is hot and ready when I get home.

As a burgeoning foodie, I'm not sure if I should be offended by the idea of tossing all the ingredients in at the same time. The lack of technique involved goes against everything I've learned watching Top Chef or the detail-oriented care I tend to put in to my more elaborate cooking. That said, there are some nights when its nice to eat a home cooked meal without taking the time to cook it post-work.

The beauty is, on top of being almost absurdly easy, this dish was tasty and well textured. If I made it again, I'd add a little more spice (then again, there aren't many things I WOULDN'T add a little more spice to). I made tacos out of the meat, but it could just as easily be used as enchilada filling, nacho topping, taco salad topping, etc.

I intend to continue this series of Crock Pot adventures now that I've moved past the fear of leaving an electrical appliance on all day while no one is home. I'll have to continue to suppress the part of me that finds the whole notion insulting to the art of cooking, but that shouldn't be too hard if all the dishes that come out of the thing are as easy and tasty as this first one.