Shrimp Jambalaya

By Jevar Harper

MAY 26, 2016: I’m not really into cooking but the way my grandmother told me a story about a family  recipe I became interested. One day my grandmother was cooking salmon and shrimp. I just asked for the salmon because I don’t like shrimp. Then she told me about a recipe that was originally brought to our family a long time ago. The recipe was how to make Shrimp Jambalaya. Of course I wasn’t there to experience my great grandmother cooking it, but my grandmother told me the details. One of the details was my great grandma discussing how she wanted something different to cook.  Then she said, “How about a dish with shrimp and rice?” Her husband responded, “Yum!”.

My grandmother shared her recipe book with me. She passed it on to me, and now I’m sharing it with you.

• 1 ½ tsp. prepared hot sauce
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. black pepper salt to taste
• 1 lb. fresh shrimp, shelled & cleaned
• 4 cups cooked rice

• 12 oz . boneless, skinless chicken breast
• ½ tsp dried oregano leaves     
• 8 oz. smoked ham, diced                        
• 1 onion, chopped                                    
• 2 stalks celery, chopped                          
• 4 cloves garlic minced                                
• 1 14 ½ oz. can whole tomatoes
• ⅓ cup of tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken broth                                    
• 1 tbs. dried parsley  
• 1 ½ tsp. dried basil leaves

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Add all the remaining ingredients, (except the shrimp and rice) to the crock pot. Cover the pot and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or cook on high for 3 to 4 hours. You can cook the rice in a separate pot. Add the shrimp during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Pour the rice into the Shrimp Jambalaya sauce when ready to serve.

Jevar Harper is a 6th grade scholar at Friendship Blow Pierce.