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Tomatoey Jambalaya


Taking stock of pantry supplies it has been decided this week is clean out the fridge/freezer/pantry week.  Meals are going to have to be creative and require little supplies from the grocery store.  First recipe up to bat was Vegetarian Jambalaya where the picture did not match the ingredients list.  Like did not match at all! Knowing then there were going to be issues with this recipe, pantry dinner #1 was already interesting and it was not even tasted yet.

Modifications Made:
Not basing the picture to the ingredients list, this meal was cooked based upon experience and gut feeling.  With exception to the tomato paste, all ingredients seemed a likely combination in proportional measurements.  Therefore only method of cooking was modified, not quantities.  However, vegetarian meat substitute was replaced with four links of Eckrich smoked sausage because that's what was in the freezer.

Onion, celery, and bell peppers were cooked until al dente.  Canned tomato, tomato paste, and chicken broth were added and stirred until bubbly.  Frozen zucchini, frozen okra, two tablespoons of sweet paprika, one teaspoon of basil/oregano/thyme, two tablespoons of diced garlic (the kind from the jar), and sausage were added and stirred until mixture bubbly.  Rice was added and well stirred to incorporate.  Mixture was cooked until desired consistency of rice was reached, adding water if needed.

Scaled for Likeness: Good
Gumbo vs Jambalaya vs Etouffee.  Depending upon where you are when making it, eating it, discussing it, the three will vary drastically or be all the same.  Where I am from none of these include tomato paste as a base but when making the recipe I decided to give it a whirl as that is kinda the point of this whole year long experiment. Right?  Tomato paste was not bad in the jambalaya it was just too much.  Instead of 6 ounces, the recipe should have had around 2-3 ounces instead.  All counterparts of the table agreed more okra and more rice was needed on the next go around.

All in all, I would make this recipe again as it was super simple and made a mountain of food.

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