This past weekend was our annual Gourmet Weekend camping trip with our Scout Troop.
When I first joined Troop 83 with my oldest son, I noticed a large Paella pan in the gear closet. I really wanted to make something epic in this pan. This trip, it finally got its first use.
The adults agreed on me making Jambalaya over the fire for our dinner.
2 sticks of butter
1 whole celery, coarsely diced
4 whole medium onions, coarsely diced
3 whole bell peepers, coarsely diced
1 small jar of minced garlic in olive oil
2lbs Smoked Sausage, sliced thin (1/4")
A family pack of boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed into 3/4" pieces.
4 Tbls Dale's Steak Seasoning (optional, but recommended! )
2 cans of Rotel Tomatoes
4 cans of diced tomatoes
Tony C's Creole seasoning
2lbs of raw peeled and deveined medium shrimp - tail on
2 bags of frozen okra
2 24oz boxes of chicken stock
2 cups of water
3-3 1/2 cos of white long grain rice
Start by getting a grate positioned over a mix of hardwood and charcoal, running fairly hot. Place the paella pot on the grate and use rocks to ensure you have a level sturdy setup.
Melt both sticks of butter and let it start to brown. Add your trinity (onions celery and peppers) and sautée until the onions and celery begin to become translucent, then add the garlic.
Continue to sautée for a couple minutes, until you begin to smell the garlic aroma. Scoot the veggies to the coolest side of the pan and add the sausage and chicken. Season liberally with Tony C's Sautée until lightly browned.
Stir in all of the canned tomatoes, then add the shrimp. Add the rice and add in the okra, stock, and water. Stir well and bring to a heavy simmer.
After a few minutes, taste the broth and adjust with additional seasoning as desired. Continue to simmer, uncovered, stirring often to prevent sticking.
This should simmer for about 15 minutes or so. It will be done when the rice is cooked through and has just the slightest al-denté crunch.
Remove from heat and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Give it one more stir and serve.
This recipe will feed 10-15 hungry adults. It can also be halved and adapted for home by using an 8-10qt wide pot.
One tip for preparing this outdoors... get all your prep work done before you start cooking. It helps to have one person working the fire and another helper working as your sous chef. You want everything in reach as soon as you start cooking. Do NOT leave this alone... it's like preparing risotto!
I also marinated the chicken with the Dale's Seasoning. It's not mandatory as this can be hard to find. I get mine from Walmart or Dollar General. I get the Tony C's at the same place... you can get the okra here too! I sourced everything else at my local Aldi market.
Lastly, our Scoutmaster works for a food and seafood supplier. He provided some chorizo this time and it really deepens the flavor profile. I worked it into the trinity as it was sautéing. It's not needed but... WOW!
I hope you try this! If you do, please let me know what you think!
