Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 16 ounces smoked ham hocks (450 gm)
4 cups water (944 ml)
4 bay leaves
1-3/4 pounds uncooked shrimp in their shells (800 gm)
2 cups boiling water (472 ml)
1 teaspoon extra light olive oil with a dash of sesame oil (15 ml)
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery (118 ml)
1 tablespoon no-salt tomato paste (15 ml)
8 ounces lean ham steak (225 gm)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme (5 ml)
1/8 teaspoon whole cloves (.6 ml)
1/2 teaspoon fresh cayenne pepper (2.5 ml) (more if your tongue is asbestos)
1-1/2 cups uncooked Louisiana long grain rice (354 ml), rinsed
1 (28 ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes (794 ml), drained and roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley (59 ml)
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Directions: |
Directions:Cover the ham hocks with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Remove the hocks and discard the water.
Place the blanched ham hocks into 4 cups (944 ml) of fresh water, add the bay leaves and simmer 1 hour, or pressure cook for 20
minutes.
Remove the ham hocks, strain and reserve liquid. Cut lean meat in shreds and discard all fat and bone. Return the reserved liquid
to the saucepan and reduce to 2 cups (472 ml) to make a ham hock stock. Skim off any surplus fat.
Cook the shrimp in 2 cups (472 ml) boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp and pour the liquid into the ham hock stock.
Put the cooked shrimp directly into ice water; peel, devein and slice in half lengthwise. Put the shells into the ham hock stock and
continue cooking until reduced to 3 cups (708 ml) - about 25 percent reduction.
In a large saute pan, heat the oil and fry the onion, garlic and celery. After 2 minutes, add the tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
Heat caramelizes the tomato paste into a deep brown color. Called the "Maillard reaction," this adds both color and depth of taste,
so essential when a lot of fat is removed from a recipe.
Cut the ham steak into bite sized cubes and add to vegetables with the shredded ham hock meat.
Place the thyme, cloves and cayenne pepper into a coffee bean grinder or a small food mill. Grind the spices to create a
wonderfully fragrant powder. Put half the mixture in the ham hock stock and half in the vegetables.
Remove the shrimp shells from the stock.
Cook the rice in 3 cups (708 ml) of the ham hock stock for about 20 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Never stir
the rice while cooking - it can break its texture into a mush.
Combine the cooked rice with the vegetables and ham. Add the tomatoes and the shrimp.
Stir in the parsley and a scattering of the chopped thyme. Now taste it...add more cayenne pepper if everyone likes it hot and
spicy. Serve it hot! |
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