Cajun French: l’année qui vien (l’an-ā kee-vee-ain) – New Year
Cabbage and Black Eyed Peas – it’s tradition on New Year’s Day. Okay we get that and enjoy the duo every January 1st no matter where we are. But sometimes we just need something different so creative brains went to work. Outcome – Creole Shrimp and Cabbage Jambalaya. We may have cooked it in an unorthodox way but it worked and was delicious!
Mais C’est Bon!
Enjoy!!
Ingredients:
1 Tbl olive oil
12 cloves garlic, smashed
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded halved and sliced
1 stalk celery, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 sm head green cabbage
10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
8 oz pasta sauce, any flavor
½ cup uncooked rice
1 tsp salt
½ tsp basil
½ tsp oregano
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp white pepper
¼ tsp black pepper
1# med cooked shrimp
Preheat oven to 350
In a small bowl combine salt, basil, oregano and peppers, mix well and set aside
Quarter cabbage and slice in ½” pieces, set aside
Heat olive oil to medium in cast iron dutch oven
Add garlic, onion, jalapeno, and celery to pot and cook until tender
Chop 6 shrimp and add to mixture
Add rice and mix well
Add tomatoes and pasta sauce mixing well
Season with 2 tsp of seasoning mixture
Add water if needed, should have 1 cup of liquid
Place cabbage on top of mixture
Cover and bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes
Remove from oven
Add shrimp and remaining seasoning mixture
Toss the entire mixture and cover
Let sit for 10 minutes
Serve with black eyed peas and toast bread
Not so unorthodox as you may think to use cabbage in jambalaya. I am originally from New Orleans. I use a decades’ old family recipe for shrimp, sausage, and cabbage jambalaya. The cabbage lends a sweet flavor that compliments the other ingredients. Jambalaya doesn’t taste right without to me!
So true. Jambalaya is a dish of whatever is available. After years and years it becomes tradition. Happy New Year!