A Taste of New Orleans - Pasta Jambalaya

As Mardi Gras is coming up next week, I am thinking of wonderful memories from my trip to New Orleans in the spring of 2003. Some of my colleagues took me to lunch at Labella?s to have a Muffuletta sandwich. I was actually looking forward to having my first Muffuletta at the famous Central Grocery, but I was firmly told that Labella's is where all the locals go. I didn't have any regrets. Labella's Muffuletta sandwich was amazing. It was also huge! The guys quickly took a picture of me eating that sandwich and posted it on our website without the webmaster's (that was me!) knowledge with a caption: "She ate the whole thing!" Here's the picture of the sandwich, and it is the biggest sandwich I have ever seen or eaten.


This was definitely the week to be in New Orleans. Not only was it the week of Jazz Festival, but also that month New Orleans celebrated the 200 year anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase. After our conference, I took in some sightseeing and enjoyed partying a little with friends from work, and then my husband joined me on the weekend for some culinary adventures. We had Po' Boy sandwiches at Remoulade, Hurricanes at Pat O'Brian's, breakfast at Brennan's, beignets at Cafe du Monde, a French-style dinner at Dominique's, and Italian cuisine at Ralph Brennan's Bacco. There are many great restaurants in New Orleans but the highlight of our weekend was Antoine's. They say if you haven?t been to Antoine?s you haven?t been to New Orleans. I definitely agree with that. My dining experience here was amazing (review). Just look at this picture of Antoine's special desert Baked Alaska.



Today, I would like to share my version of Pasta Jambalaya, a New Orleans specialty, perfect for Mardi Gras.

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons butter
4-5 teaspoons Creole seasoning
1 cup smoked Andouille or Chorizo sausages, cut in rounds
½ half chicken breast cut in 1-inch chunks
Pinch of salt
Pinch of Cayenne pepper
8-10 shrimp
1 small onion, chopped
½ bell pepper cut in 1-inch strips
2 cups cooked Penne pasta
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on a skillet. Brown sausage in the skillet for about 2 minutes, turning a few times. Remove sausage from the skillet and into a bowl.

In the skillet mix another tablespoon of butter, chicken, 1 teaspoon of Creole seasoning, salt and Cayenne pepper. Sauté chicken for about 2-3 minutes. Remove chicken from the skillet and add to a bowl with sausage.

Add one tablespoon of butter, one teaspoon of Creole seasoning, and shrimp to skillet and cook for about 2 minutes or until shrimp turns pink. Add shrimp to a bowl with chicken and sausage.

Melt one more tablespoon of butter in the skillet. Add onions, peppers, and one additional teaspoon of Creole seasoning. Simmer on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes or until onions are soft.

To onions and peppers add penne pasta. Mix in sausage, chicken, and shrimp, remaining butter and the rest of Creole seasoning. Cook on high heat for another few minutes, stirring constantly.

Finally, stir in Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.