Soul food refers to a genre of Southern-inspired cuisine. Jambalaya is a soul food dish that originated in New Orleans, Louisiana. If you are a fan of soul food or are looking to experiment with soul food recipes, you will find that they are generally simple once you become familiar with the method of preparation and the seasoning basics. Jambalaya combines several flavor profiles so it can appeal to more than one palate. Pairing it with a vegetable dish, such as Southern style spinach, creates a well-rounded soul food meal.
Jambalaya
Step 1
Cut the chicken breast into 2-inch pieces and slice the sausage into 1/2- inch pieces. Chop the onion, bell pepper and celery into small pieces. Place the garlic into a garlic press or mince it.
Step 2
Add the olive oil to a large pot and add the chicken and sausage to the pot. Sauté the meats for five minutes.
Step 3
Add the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic and stir to combine the ingredients. Cook the meats and vegetables for an additional five minutes or until the onions become tender and you can cut with a fork.
Step 4
Stir in the cayenne pepper and add the salt and pepper to taste. Add the rice with the chicken stock and place the bay leaves in three separate places in the pot.
Step 5
Bring the ingredients to a boil and reduce it to low heat. Place a cover on the pot and let it simmer for 20 to 30 minutes to allow the rice to cook. Add the Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce once the rice is fully cooked and stir lightly to allow the ingredients to mix.
Southern-Style Wilted Spinach
Step 1
Tear or chop the spinach leaves into smaller pieces. It can be a rough chop because the spinach will wilt as it cooks.
Step 2
Cook the bacon in a skillet until it is crisp. Remove the bacon from the skillet and chop it into small pieces. Remove the skillet from the heat temporarily.
Step 3
Sprinkle the flour into the skillet and stir to combine the flour and oil. Slowly stir the vinegar and salt into the flour mixture.
Step 4
Add the flour mixture to the spinach and sprinkle the bacon and onion over the spinach. Use tongs to gently toss the ingredients and serve.
Tips and Warnings
- You can also add shrimp to the gumbo as an ingredient. It should go in approximately five minutes before the end of cooking.
Things You'll Need
- For the jambalaya:
- 1 lb. chicken breast
- 8 oz. smoked sausage or kielbasa
- 1 onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 tbsp. cayenne pepper
- Salt
- Pepper
- 2 cups of rice
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp. hot sauce
- For the spinach:
- 2 bags of fresh spinach
- 2 slices of turkey or pork bacon
- 1 tbsp. flour
- 1/3 cup vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup of red onion
- Tongs
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