So I have a bag of Creole seasoning. (I made extra.) I have celery, a bell pepper, and an onion left. I have two Cajun andouille sausages and chicken thighs (or breasts – I’ve forgotten). I really don’t want to toss the celery or bell pepper, so I need to make something with the Holy Trinity. But we still have jambalaya left. (Not for long, matey!) Roomie doesn’t want me to make it again so soon. What can I make to use up the veg that is not jambalaya? Since gumbo and étouffée are sort-of similar, we can probably rule those out as well.
Shoot. I was going to say gumbo or etouffee. Are you saying they’re too similar to jambalaya? I think they’re substantially different. Gumbo and etouffee both start with a roux, an important flavor element missing from jambalaya. It’s also quite a bit soupier.
When in doubt, grill. You can chunk up the peppers and onion, put them on skewers and lightly brush them with oil. Top the grilled andouille with the grilled veggies, maybe add a little mustard (or not, as you choose) and chow like there’s no tomorrow.
Lacking a grill, they can be roasted in an oven or toaster oven.
Dice the veggies and sausage, and saute until the sausage is warmed through and the veggies are translucent… while they are cooking, whisk 8 eggs in a bowl. Add a pinch of your creole seasoning to your eggs if you want. Dump the eggs in the pan with the veg and sausage. At this point, you can cook it like scrambled eggs, or a fritata. Serve with warm tortillas and salsa.
Pasta Primavera would work with those vegetables.
You could do a pretty good curry if you didn’t use the sausage.
A tagine type dish with couscous would work too if you can get your hands on some harissa and preserved lemons.
Tacos are another option. Chicken + smoked sausage make for an excellent taco filling. Just do your holy trinity thing and make your own sauce to go with it. What I might do is just go creole with my seasonings, and serve it in a tortilla. Fry up the holy trinity with some andouille, add a small amount of medium to dark roux (if you feel like making roux), along with a splash of broth and tomato product (if you want). Add creole seasoning to taste. Toss in some chicken pieces you browned separately. Cook through. Taste for seasoning. Serve on tortillas, along with some fresh veggies as toppings. There’s really nothing you can’t make a decent taco out of.
ETA: Or, stir fry of one variety or another would be another obvious choice. Also, chicken sloppy joes.
(off the top of my head)
1 # sweet italian sausage (I don’t think andouille woudl be so good here)
2-3 eggplant, diced
trinity
4 c cooked rice
salt
pepper
chicken broth
poultry seasoning
brown sausage, drain
sautee trinity and eggplant until soft
combine sausage, rice, vegetables in large pot or dutch oven.
season to taste
add broth and mix until moist.
Serve warm.
You can eat it right away, but it’s better the next day or even two and three days later. I make a big batch the day before Thanksgiving dinner, and I save some to enjoy over the weekend with the rest of the leftovers.
Are you? While I appreciate the condescension, they’re two different dishes. I wasn’t aware that all rice based dishes were off limits. I beg your pardon.
