Shawn-It’s time you stopped cooking minute rice out of a box, brother. Here’s the real deal and it takes the same time as your hamburger helper version (under 20 minutes, not including the making of homemade stock which is a project for Sunday afternoons and can be frozen into smaller cartons for defrosting when you need it). – Mark Thompson
Quail Jambalaya
• 12 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
• As many quail as you can shoot in a day (3-6 works nicely, but this is very flexible), breast meat and any meat you can cut from the legs, diced
• 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 3/4 cup rice (we like Koda Farms rice, available from Japanese grocers, it’s the best rice in the world)
• 3 cups chicken stock (yes, you can used broth from a box if you don’t have time to make your own, but making your own provides a noble end to what is otherwise thrown away game bird legs and carcasses)
• 5 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced
• Salt and pepper
In a bowl combine shrimp, quail and Creole seasoning, and work in seasoning well. In a large saucepan heat oil over high heat with onion, pepper and celery, 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. When rice is just tender add shrimp and quail mixture and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.
Emeril’s ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Yield: 2/3 cup (put in spice jars and keep it handy, as it is good on everything.) Bam!
Stock (from gamebirds)
• 1-2 pheasant carcasses (more if smaller birds such as quail), including necks and backs, unused legs, etc. (These carcasses can be in separate pieces and can be frozen in freezer bags for when you have time to make the stock. I keep a large bag of these “parts for stock” in the freezer in the garage.)
• 1 large onion, roughly cut into large chunks
• 4 carrots, roughly cut into large chunks
• 4 ribs celery, roughly cut into large chunks
• 10 sprigs fresh thyme
• 10 sprigs fresh parsley with stems
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 to 10 peppercorns
• 2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 gallons cold water
Place carcasses, vegetables, and herbs and spices in 12-quart stockpot. Set opened steamer basket directly on ingredients in pot and pour over water. Cook on high heat until you begin to see bubbles break through the surface of the liquid. Turn heat down to medium low so that stock maintains low, gentle simmer. Skim the scum from the stock with a spoon or fine mesh strainer every 10 to 15 minutes for the first hour of cooking and twice each hour for the next 2 hours. Add hot water as needed to keep bones and vegetables submerged. Simmer uncovered for 3 to 8 hours.
Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer into another large stockpot or heatproof container discarding the solids. Cool immediately in large cooler of ice or a sink full of ice water to below 40 degrees. Place in refrigerator overnight. Remove solidified fat from surface of liquid and store in container with lid in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or in freezer for up to 3 months. Prior to use, bring to boil for 2 minutes. Use as a base for soups and sauces.
Upland Ways 