Cajun Brown Jambalaya

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large onions, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 celery ribs, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups long-grain white rice
• 4 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bunch scallions, sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Before you cook

• Cut the pork into 1/2-inch cubes and the chicken into 1-inch pieces.
• Slice the andouille and dice the onions, bell pepper and celery.
• Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs almost clear, then drain it well.

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Add the pork cubes and brown them hard for 12 minutes, letting a dark crust build on the bottom of the pot.
3. Add the andouille and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, so its fat renders into the pot.
4. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, until it loses its raw color.
5. Scrape the pot bottom with a wooden spoon and let the fond build up again, but do not let it turn black.
6. Add the onions, bell pepper and celery and stir hard as they release water and lift the fond off the pot.
7. Cook the vegetables for 10 minutes, until they are soft and the pot bottom is clean and brown.
8. Stir in the garlic, salt, black pepper, cayenne, white pepper and thyme and cook for 1 minute.
9. Pour in the chicken stock and scrape once more to loosen anything left on the bottom.
10. Bring the liquid to a hard boil and taste it, making it slightly saltier than you want the finished dish.
11. Stir in the drained rice and level the surface with a spoon.
12. Let the pot boil uncovered for 3 minutes, until the liquid drops to the level of the rice.
13. Cover the pot tightly, drop the heat to low, and cook for 25 minutes without lifting the lid.
14. Take the pot off the heat and let it stand covered for 10 minutes.
15. Uncover and fold the jambalaya over from the bottom with a large fork, keeping the grains separate.
16. Fold in the scallions and parsley and serve straight from the pot.