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Shrimp - And - Ham Jambalaya
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| What You Need: |
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2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup broken white rice (see Glossary) or 1 cup short-grain white rice
2 pounds uncooked medium-sized shrimp (about 20 to 24 to the pound)
6 tablespoons butter
1½ cups finely chopped onions
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
A 1-pound can tomatoes, drained and finely chopped, with all their liquid
3 tablespoons canned tomato paste
½ cup finely chopped celery
¼ cup finely chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley, preferably the Hat-leaf Italian variety
3 whole cloves, pulverized with a mortar and pestle or finely crushed with a kitchen mallet or the Hat of a heavy cleaver
½ teaspoon crumbled dried thyme
½ teaspoon ground hot red pepper (cayenne)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cooked lean smoked ham, trimmed of excess fat and cut into ½-inch cubes
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Bring the water and 1 teaspoon of the salt to a boil in a small saucepan set over high heat. Add the rice, stir once or twice, and immediately cover the pan.
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2. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the grains have absorbed all of the liquid in the pan. Fluff the rice with a fork, cover, and set it aside.
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3. Meanwhile, shell the shrimp. Devein them by making a shallow incision down their backs with a small sharp knife and lifting out the black or white intestinal vein with the point of the knife. Wash the shrimp briefly in a colander set under cold running water.
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4. Drop the shrimp into enough boiling salted water to cover them completely and cook briskly, uncovered, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until they are pink and firm. With a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a bowl and set aside.
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5. In a heavy 5- to 6-quart casserole, melt the butter over moderate heat. When the foam begins to subside, add the onions and garlic and, stirring frequently, cook for about 5 minutes, or until they are soft and translucent but not brown.
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6. Add the tomatoes, the tomato liquid and the tomato paste, and stir over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Then add the celery, green pepper, parsley, doves, thyme, red pepper, black pepper and the remaining teaspoon of salt.
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7. Stirring frequently, cook uncovered over moderate heat until the vegetables are tender and the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape lightly in the spoon.
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8. Add the ham and, stirring frequently, cook for 5 minutes. Then stir in the shrimp and, when they are heated through, add the reserved rice. Stir over moderate heat until the mixture is hot and the rice has absorbed any liquid in the pan.
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9. Taste for seasoning and serve the shrimp-and-ham jambalaya at once, directly from the casserole or mounded in a heated bowl.
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