Louisiana Enchiladas

Sounds wierd right? Okay so I came up with this in kind of a spur of the moment type situation for my menu. The guy who ordered it was asking around to see if anyone had ever heard of it before. I figure, hey we put rice and meat in a mexican or spanish style dish so why not do it for cajun or creole dish? So this is how this dish was "born". You know I probably shouldn't say all this before I go and research to see if it has already been done but hey, I'm the Delightful Chef, what does it matter? Let's just enjoy the food shall we?

Alright, here goes...




Louisiana Enchiladas

1lb Spicy Sausage
2lb Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
2 Cloves minced garlic
1c. Onions, chopped
1c. Celery, chopped
1c. Green onions, chopped
2/3 c. Green Bell Peppers, chopped
2/3 c. fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tsp Thyme
2 Bay leaves, crumbled
2 tbsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp sage
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 c long grain rice
2 cans tomatoes (or 4 c. freshly stewed tomatoes)
2 c. chicken broth
1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil

In a large pan (I would personally suggest a good seasoned large cast iron skillet - some people advise against it. I say, go with your gut, whatever you got around the house is fine!), saute garlic and onions in oil over medium heat, until soft. Add sausage and saute until just cooked remembering to scrape the bottom of the pan to get that goody goodness from the bottom. Add stewed tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add remaining spices and herbs, and veggies along with rice and chicken broth. Mix just enough to distribute all ingredients evenly (about 3 swipes of the wooden spoon). Cover, lower heat and let cook (sit) at a gentle simmer until rice is done about 30 - 45 minutes (Do Not open the Lid!). Add shrimp, fluff rice just enought to evenly incorporate shrimp, cook another 15- 20 minutes (if using cooked shrimp, cook just enough to heat shrimp through) and VIOLA!

Let rest for 10 minutes and you now have Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya!

Preparing the Enchilada portion:

I took a 200 pan - whoops sorry - a deep baking pan (a cheap roasting pan maybe?) and spooned the Jambalaya over the pan, just enough to cover the bottom. I took a tortilla, rubbed it in the jambalaya (you can also do this after you add the tomatoes, spices and herbs in the original reciepe and just dip the tortilla in the jambalaya "sauce" if you will), spoon a small portion of the jambalaya into the tortilla and roll it up. Top with pepper jack cheese and black beans. Pop in the oven until cheese is melted, garnish with a couple spriggs of parsley and have at it!

Note: You may even set aside some of the sauce (tomatoes, herbs and spices, sausage drippings, etc), or make an extra batch to spoon over "enchiladas" before adding cheese and black beans.