Jambalaya in the Pressure Cooker

This is my second post on Jambalaya. I made this version of Jambalaya in my new pressure cooker. The great thing about this Jambalaya was that it was very quick and easy, the pressure cooker cooked the rice down in a matter of minutes.

I used my trusty Fagor Pressure Cooker which was quite nice. Cooking with pressure cookers in convenient, but there is an element of risk involved. Please review my post Pressure Cooker Instructions and Handling and the specific instructions for your pressure cooker before cooking this recipe! I got this recipe from the Fagor Pressure Cooker cookbook.

I found that some of the rice stuck to the bottom of the pressure cooker, burning the rice. I scraped off most of it, and it added a burned flavor to the jambalaya which was actually quite nice. That being said, despite all its convenience, I found my version of Jambalaya using a cast iron pot to be better. There is no school like the old school! I think having the roux makes a big difference, but making a roux takes time and patience. The advantage of the pressure cooker is speed!

Perhaps a way to spice this dish up would be to use some Lamb Barbacoa sauce. I didn't do that for this dish, but I think it might have helped it along, in retrospect. I had a bunch of it frozen in convenient cubes. I would recommend about 1/4 of a cup, as it is super spicy.   

I think another useful addition would be to stir fry the onions in a little chicken fat. Perhaps the spicy chicken fat from Pan Fried Southern Chicken. Again, I didn't do this for this recipe, but it retrospect it might have been a good idea.

Ingredients
Olive Oil
Spicy Sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tomatoes (skinned, seeded and chopped preferred, but just chuck them in if you dont want to skin and deseed)
4 or 5 pieces of Okra, sliced
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon Harissa

4 cups rich dark chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon saffron
2 cups of rice (short or long grain)


Directions
Heat the olive oil in the pressure cooker. Add the sausage and stir fry until cooked. Hopefully some of the fat will come out of the sausage, which would be a good thing.  Add a little more of the chicken fat and stir fry the onions. When the onions are a little browned, add the garlic.

Add the tomatoes and stir fry for a few minutes. The tomatoes should start sweating out their juices. Add the paprika, chicken stock and saffron and let simmer for a few minutes to let the flavor develop.









Add the okra.  Add the rice and give it a good stir to incorporate and mix. Bring the liquid to a boil.












Close the lid of the pressure cooker and lock. Bring to pressure and cook for the suggested time:
Position 1  6 minutes
Position 2  3 minutes









Remove from heat. Let the pressure release naturally. Do not quickly release the pressure! Let sit, closed for another 4 minutes to let the rice soak up the flavor.

Once all the pressure has been released naturally, remove the lid and serve.

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