This next recipe is from my friend Eula Mae Dore who cooked for the McIlhenneys at Avery Island (where Tabasco is made) for years. She recently passed away and I make this delicious version of jambalaya often in her memory. This is from a book EULA MAE’S CAJUN KITCHEN, which I helped her to write.

EULA MAE’S CHICKEN &E HAM JAMBALAYA

Makes 6 to 8 servings

“It’s time for a little history lesson. Listen well. Some say that the word jambalaya came from the French word jambon for ham, the African ya meaning rice, and the Acadian phrase à la. And you must understand that there are brown jambalayas, made by caramelizing and browning the onions and meats, and red ones, made so by adding tomatoes. There are as many recipes for jambalaya as there are for gumbos in Louisiana. Personally, I like a bit of tomatoes in mine; I think it gives it a nice flavor. But, I’ll let you taste, and then you can make up your own mind,” Eula Mae said.

Jambalaya is also one of those popular Louisiana dishes that are very apropos for meals on the water. It’s a one-pot meal, but you can serve it with a nice green salad and French bread.

When you’re browning the chicken and ham, scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. That gives the jambalaya a good flavor.

• 1 fryer chicken, about 3 pounds, boned and skinned or 1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless breasts and thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ½ pound cooked ham, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 1 cup chopped green bell peppers
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 (1 pound) can whole tomatoes, chopped with their can liquid
• ½ cup chopped green onions (green part only)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 2 pounds medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco brand pepper sauce
• 2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed and drained

Sprinkle the chicken with the salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a large bowl.

Add the ham to the pot and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the ham to the chicken in the bowl.

Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic to the pot and cook, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. Return the chicken and the ham to the pot, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the chicken broth and reserved tomato juice, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Mash the cooked garlic against the sides of the pot and blend into the mixture. Add the tomatoes, green onions, parsley, shrimp and Tabasco and adjust seasoning to taste. Add the rice, cover the pot and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and fluffy and the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.

Serve warm.

JAMBALAYA TIME

Gather a few Cajuns together to cook jambalaya and they will argue for hours how it should be done. There are those who adamantly claim that all jambalayas should be brown in color, made so by the slow caramelization of onions and chicken and sausage. Others profess that the addition of tomatoes brings out more flavor. All agree that jambalayas must contain rice. And there is no end to the combination of meat or seafood that a jambalaya can include. Pork, chicken, sausage, ham, shrimp, crawfish, duck, rabbit and even black-eyed peas can be added to this wonderful one-pot dish.

Hey, check out our assortment of jambalaya mixes and you’ll see what I am talking about and they are all good! But, if you want to make your own jambalaya from scratch, here are some of my recipes to give you inspiration. Once you’ve tried your hand at making different kinds of jambalaya, you can decide which one satisfies your taste buds.

JAMBALAYA, MY WAY

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and julienne
• 1 cup coarsely chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 pound cubed boiled ham
• 1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices (optional)
• 1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed with the can juices
• 1 cup chicken broth
• Salt and cayenne
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup long-grain rice, uncooked
• Hot sauce

Heat the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, until they are soft and lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the shrimp and ham, and sausage if using. Cook for two to three minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink. Stir in the tomatoes and chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and cayenne. Add the bay leaves and the rice. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and serve. Pass the hot sauce!