Jambalaya
The main motivation for this recipe was a savory ham bone left over from last Sunday’s dinner. I hate to waste a good ham bone! They are full of flavor and make a rich stock. Also, the autumnal nip in the air Thursday afternoon and Friday morning made me wish for a hearty pot of fall comfort food!
I have to credit my Mother with this recipe. She made this when we were growing up. It makes a big pot so she would always send some to a sick friends or family member. I modified the recipe and added shrimp and white wine. I included a pic of my Mother’s original recipe card.
1 Ham Bone (with some meat still attached)
1 c Green Bell Pepper (diced)
1 c Onion (diced)
1 c Celery (diced)
1 lb Smoked Sausage (sliced in rounds)
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
2 c Ham (cubed)
1 c White Wine
2 cans Petite Diced Tomatoes (14.5oz)
4 c Chicken Broth
2 c Rice
1 lb Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
2/3 c Ketchup
3 Tbs. Hot Sauce
1 Tbs. Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Place ham bone and 6 c water in a heavy stock pot. Boil until tender. Remove bone from broth and allow too cool. Cut remaining meat from bone (approximately 2 cups) and save. Save 4 cups of ham stock.
Place olive oil, bell pepper, onion, celery, and sausage in a heavy bottom soup pot. Sauté until veggies are tender. Add white wine and deglaze. Add ham stock, chicken stock, tomatoes, and cubed ham. Bring to a boil. Add rice and reduce heat. Cook until rice is done. You may have to add additional stock if needed.
Remove from heat. Stir in hot sauce, seasonings, ketchup and shrimp. Cover and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve with cornbread! This is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day after flavors have time to marry. You can omit the shrimp or add chicken for a variation!
Duck Gumbo
Duck gumbo is one of my favorite dishes my Daddy prepares. This is not his recipe but it is a close interpretation. His recipe includes okra, but I knew I would forget something at the grocery store. Oops! We have an abundance of wild game in our fridge and freezer at all times. I particularly love cooking wild game. It is always a challenge for me to cook delicious dishes and show others that wild game can be tasty! It is an honor to cook these beautiful creatures. Their colorful feathers and beautiful markings are truly natures work of art! You can substitute chicken for the duck but you would be missing out!
Duck Gumbo
6 duck breasts
2 slices Orange
2 ribs Celery
1 Onion
1 Bay Leaf
Place cleaned de-boned duck breast in heavy bottom pot with celery, onion, orange slices, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Add approximately 8 cups of water. You may need to add additional water while cooking. Boil for 45 minutes to one hour until duck starts to get tender. It will not fall apart like chicken but it will begin to tenderize. Remove duck from broth and let cool. Strain broth and save. You will need 8 cups of broth. You can add water to the duck broth if you don’t have enough. When duck is cooled slice into thin strips and save.
1 c chopped Onion
1 c chopped Celery
1 c chopped Bell Pepper
1 lb Smoked Sausage
½ lb Bacon
¼ c Flour
1 lb cubed Ham
8 c Duck Broth
2 14.5oz cans Stewed Tomatoes
2 14.5oz Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic
½ c White Wine
1/2 c Ketchup
¼ c Flour
Hot Sauce
Salt and Pepper to Taste
While duck is cooking fry ½ lb of bacon in soup pot. Once bacon is done drain on paper towels. Add ¼ c olive oil to bacon drippings and sauté onion, celery, bell pepper, and sausage in drippings. When veggies start to get tender add flour and cook for 5 minutes. Add reserved duck stock, tomatoes, white wine, ham, and duck. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 30-45 minutes until duck is very tender and gumbo has thickened. Add ketchup, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Let sit 20-30 minutes to allow flavors to marry. Crumble bacon over top of gumbo. Gumbo can stand alone or serve over white rice. This dish is even better the next day or the next. It makes a hefty pot so you can plan to feed a crowd or you can freeze.
