Dragon Jambalaya
by Galanoth

Being Head of the Order of Dragonslayers has its privileges: looking on in pride as your new recruits team up to take down their first dragon, commanding a raid on the stronghold of a dracolich who thinks he can take over the world just because he found an orb of darkness, tricking a pack of evil dragons into following some bait into a cave and then collapsing the entrance behind them.

 

Yes, those are the times that you really feel alive.

 

But one of the most satisfying parts of my job is cooking up a heap of spicy food for the troops. One of my favorite recipes I call Dragon Jambalaya.

 

Ingredients:

 

6 cups long grain white rice

6 cups chicken stock

3 cups tomato puree

15oz can of diced tomatoes or 2 large diced fresh tomatoes

15oz can of either red kidney beans or small red beans (the beans are optional but they add another layer of flavor and texture, and more nutrition)

1 finely chopped sweet onion

1 chopped green pepper

1 cup chopped celery

1 Tbsp olive oil or butter

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne (hot) pepper or 1 Tbsp hot sauce (if you really like spicy food, you can double this)

1/2 tsp thyme

 

4-6 cups of assorted meat, your choice:

 

Precooked pulled chicken (Pulled means that the meat was pulled from the bone rather than cut up in small pieces with a knife. Pulled meat creates a more interesting texture and also preserves more juice in the meat)

Precooked pulled pork

Precooked diced ham

Precooked pulled duck

Precooked pulled turkey

Precooked sliced andouille sausage (spicy sausage)

Precooked sliced kielbasa (not a spicy sausage)

Shrimp (peeled, raw)

 

 

Directions:

 

Start off by rinsing the rice in water for a couple minutes to remove excess starch.

 

Add the rice, oil or butter, vegetables, spices, chicken stock and tomato puree to a large pot. Bring it to a boil. Turn it down to a simmer and cover.

 

Cook the rice until most of the liquid is absorbed. Just lift the lid (careful to avoid the steam) every 5-10 minutes and check it.

 

Now, add the can of diced tomatoes or fresh tomatoes and the beans. If you like your rice dishes to be a little more moist, now is the time to add a little extra chicken stock or tomato puree, depending on your taste. Also, taste it

to see if it needs more salt, pepper or hot pepper.

 

Finally, add your meats. Everything but the shrimp should be added precooked. Stir the meats through the rice. If the shrimp you add are on the small side, they only need a few minutes to cook. If they are medium/large shrimp, give them a good 10 minutes.

 

Once all the meat is heated through and the shrimp are cooked, the jambalaya is ready to serve.

 

This is perfect food for cold weather ;)