About a week ago, my friend Meredith posted a message on my Facebook wall and said she’d made my recipe for jambalaya that day as part of a trial run for a Mardi Gras party she was hosting later that week. And I realized I’d forgotten all about jambalaya.
But I had a good reason.
About eleven years ago, jambalaya was one of my cold weather staples. A little spicy Cajun comfort food to help us get through the cold South Texas winters where the temps have been known to dip into the low 30’s for minutes at a time. One night my sister, Amy, was in town for a visit (This was eleven years ago and she still lived in Dallas. This detail isn’t pertinent to the story but you’re getting it anyway.) and I decided I’d make jambalaya for dinner.
Which was all good and fine until it almost killed P.
We were all sitting around the table, enjoying our dinner and visiting, when it became clear that P was choking. Mainly because he was giving us the international sign for choking. Apparently, a round slice of sausage had gotten caught in his throat. It was approximately thirty seconds later that my sister and I made the unfortunate discovery that neither one of us possessed an adequate working knowledge of the Heimlich maneuver.
Actually, I realized I lacked sufficient Heimlich maneuver skills while my sister, who probably knew how to do the Heimlich since she was a teacher and had been trained in CPR, fled the scene because she was afraid P was about to throw up and she didn’t want to see it.
No one ever accused either of us of keeping a calm head in a crisis situation.
After P realized he wasn’t going to be able to save himself on the back of a kitchen chair, I dialed 911. And an ambulance came. And paramedics rushed in the house. And we all had to go to the hospital so they could administer some type of medicine to relax his throat muscles.
I also remember asking if I could have a sedative for myself.
If I recall, P gave me a dirty look. But he had no idea the stress I was under. It’s not every day that you prepare a meal that almost kills your husband and then simultaneously discover you lack the skills to save him. Talk about WIFE FAIL.
Obviously, P recovered from the experience. We discovered shortly thereafter that he had some acid reflux issues that had caused scarring on his esophagus which led him to choke easily. So we got that little problem taken care of because calling 911 during family dinner is kind of a downer. Not to mention, expensive.
So, even though the Jambalaya wasn’t necessarily to blame, I crossed it off my list of meals since I figured it probably fell into a NEVER AGAIN category for P. I didn’t want him to have flashbacks to his near demise.
(The food that is on my NEVER AGAIN list is Kung Pao Chicken. But for different reasons involving a seventeen hour bus ride and an upset stomach.)
But, last night after eleven long years, I pulled Jambalaya out of the archives. Although I made sure to cut the sausage into very small pieces.
We ate it and it was delicious and we didn’t have to call 911.
And given that I’ve just told you a dramatic life and death tale with too many details about my husband’s esophagus problems, don’t you want to know how to make it yourself?
Jambalaya
1/4 cup butter
1 pound smoked sausage (hot or mild, chopped into very small pieces unless you have learned NOTHING from my story)
1/4 cup flour
2 medium onions, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped (I used two 14.5 oz cans of petite diced tomatoes because that’s how I roll)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tbs. dried thyme
1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne
black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups cooked, diced chicken (I bought cooked chicken because, raw chicken, I HAVE ISSUES)
3 cups chicken broth
2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
salt to taste
In a large stockpot, melt butter and saute’ sausage until lightly browned. Add in flour. Then add onions, green onions, bell pepper, and garlic. Saute’ until vegetables are soft.
Stir in tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, cayenne, black pepper, chicken, chicken broth, shrimp and rice. The liquid in the pot should just cover everything.
Let it boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Add salt and Tabasco sauce to taste.
Serve with warm French bread and sufficient knowledge of the Heimlich maneuver.
Thank you! I’ve been craving jambalaya for a while now but I’m 700 miles away from my favorite Cajun restaurant!
The first ingredient is butter? Sold.
Also, does anyone remember when the book discussion? I powered through that puppy and I’m going on vacation to Missouri next week (why anyone who lives in 75-degree Southern California would take a vacation in the middle of February is beside me, but I love my friends) and I’m trying to determine if I need to pack to book or not. Maybe you could post something on Twitter? Or just as a short aside tomorrow.
I almost woke my husband up laughing out loud at WIFE FAIL 🙂 Glad P’s ok! 🙂
you have made my day! thank you!
Once again, completely hilarious!
I felt bad laughing, but really couldn’t help it! I bet that was TERRIFYING when he was choking! AHHH!
Thanks for posting this recipe, it sounds right up my hubby’s alley!
Oh no, you didn’t put tomatoes in your jambalaya! That’s creole cooking, not cajun!!
Oh goodness. I have a scary Heimlich story too, but I promised the daughter I wouldn’t put it on the blog. It got to the purple-face, slumped over the table stage before husband figured out how to help her. She told us later that while she was passing out she was thinking “I’m going to die because my parents don’t know how to do the Heimlich maneuver.” She taught us that night.
PS. I’m going to try the jambalaya. I will be cutting the sausage in little pieces. 🙂
Hey, be careful with that bay leaf! That was the culprit in my nearly killing my husband with dinner one night. Thankfully, we were at a friend’s house for a potluck dinner and when my attempts to do the Heimlich on my hubby failed, our big, strong, Army drill sergeant friend was successful. Who knew you could choke on the forgotten bay leaf?? Scared the heck out of me!!
I don’t know what’s worse the throwing up or the idea that you had to feel the guilt of too much piggie being consumed…poor P, men being sick ar two words that don’t jive together–even if it’s legit.
Hoping P has taste buds with amnesia and enjoyed a bowl..or two!!
Greetings from south Louisiana. First of all, I’m thrilled that you posted this recipe. While I indeed make jambalaya quite often, I generally do so with the aid of Tony Chachere. Not the seasoning, the jambalaya mix. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve waited this long for a Texan to share a recipe I’d care to make. In my defense, Pensacola is my hometown though I’ve lived here for all but six years of my life. This does not a Cajun make.
I would also like to point out that P clearly needs to slow down while eating and learn to chew his food properly. Did his mother not cut up his hot dogs for him when he was little? I’m just sayin’, there may be much deeper issues that you aren’t even aware of . I suggest you make chili dogs one evening and chop of his hot dog finely before placing it on the bun and topping with chili. Maybe it’ll trigger some memory and help him open up. It works in the movies. 😉
Cajun? Creole? It matters not. I lived in the deepest part of Cajun country for several years and was taught to put tomatoes in my Jambalaya also. It has always been one of my favorite recipes from our South Louisiana years!
I support your tomatoes my sister!
I’ve never had jambalaya. It’s just not a popular option up here in Phildelphia. It sounds like something I would like to try though, although I might use the food processor. I’m sure pureed sausage is just delicious!
I also nearly killed my husband when we were first married! My episode involved some mysterious beef dish and food poisoning.
He’s never let me live it down.
Just so you know, your recipe is very similar to Emeril’s Kicked-up Jambalaya (LOVE!)… He uses Olive Oil instead of Butter…so I may try yours next!
If it makes you feel better, I have no idea what the international sign for choking is, so if I had been you, P probably would’ve died.
I want to know if P suffered from PTSD during the meal?? It sounds like a great recipe, regardless of the the health risks involved in consuming it. Who knew Cajun food could be so dangerous??
My sister is a NURSE and ran away when my youngest was gagging/choking on a carrot at a restaurant. And my oldest loudly says, “Well, I guess Michaela won’t be eating carrots here anymore.”
“This detail isn’t pertinent to the story but you’re getting it anyway.” I love your details!
I never think you can possibly write a funnier post and then you come up with this! I’m howling! I do realize the seriousness of P’s predicament, but still! Asking for a sedative? So funny! You get bonus points for thinking to ask for a sedative.
I feel so bad for P but the story was HILARIOUS!
I thought I was the only one to almost kill my husband with Jambalaya!!! Ours wasnt a choking issue, an unfortunate discovery of an allergy to Paprika 🙂 luckily we all survived, however unlike you we will not be re attempting this meal…i bet it’s good though!
Sounds delicious but you lost me at the third “chopped.” And I don’t even want to know how to “mince” something. I’m sure it comes as no surprise to you that my cooking skills are somewhat lacking. And my business skills don’t really seem to matter all that much when two little boys are looking at me with their mouths open like baby birds. Except that I have impressed them with some graphs and pie charts. We usually end up just parading through the kitchen while I waive a napkin in the air like all of the other people in the commercials that make Cajun foods from a box.
Ditto on your sister running out of the room b/c she thought P was going to throw up.
Oh my goodness, that reminds me of the time my son start choking because he was refluxing as an infant and almost stopped breathing and some family members (who shall remain nameless) couldn’t even dial 911. I had to save my baby and dial the darn phone.
This recipe sounds wonderful. Except my dh is allergic to shellfish which is such a bummer. I guess we could make it without the shrimp, but that makes me sad because I love shrimp. He isn’t highlly allergic, but we still don’t take any chances.
We got a dusting of snow here this morning and I thought of how excited y’all were to get snow. I think we are over this whole winter thing.
That sounds delicious! I ate gumbo last weekend (my mom’s homemade… yum).
Wife fail… that’s hilarious! Glad P is okay 🙂
Your jambalaya recipe sounds much better than mine. (zataran’s jambalaya rice & smoked sausage from Costco). Haha
Great story.
My NEVER AGAIN food item is the Seafood and Crab sandwich from Subway. (shudder)
I don’t eat the tuna after a friend worked there… yuk.
I just made jambalaya for the first time last week. Mostly b/c it was the recipe they were cooking at HEB that day and I’m a sucker for those meal deal things where you get like 12 products for $5. Being from Arkansas, we didn’t have that growing up and my husband is from Minnesota … and describes his culinary tastes as “bland Midwesterner” which translates to … “that was way too hot and spicy for me plus it’s not brown or covered in ketchup”. My children made gagging noises and one of them even pretended he was was dead … seriously, do we always need dinner drama?!? The good news is that I loved it AND it was a meal deal which means they used the HEB pre cooked fajita chilcken in a bag so I didn’t have to gag over raw chicken either. AND … get this … I asked the demonstration person (Bill dies that I actually talk to these people!) to see if the bay leaf made a difference b/c I hated to buy a whole thing of bay leaves if I was never going to use it again. She said … “Oh, go to the healthy living section” (which made me die out laughing that I had no idea where it was!) and you can buy just the amount of seasonings you need. So I went and bought one bay leaf. It was so lightweight that it couldn’t be calculated so the checker gave it to me for free. So it was like a bonus on top of the meal deal!
Now, since you are doing that whole couch to 5K thing you probably know where the “healthy living” section at HEB is but if not, it’s pretty cool. There were even people grinding their own peanut butter there. (I’m sticking with Peter Pan though, he’s never failed me).
Sorry, longest comment ever!
I know that had to be terrifying but somehow you made it hilarious!
And you know? I don’t think I have ever even tasted jambalaya…maybe I’ll try making it.
Oh, Big Mama- way to triumph over the tragedy with new victory- and many kudos for having the courage to go there again- I’m impressed 🙂
that sounds like the perfect cold weather meal, right up there with some really great stew! and i will definately cut the sausage into small pieces!
I’ve been looking for a good Jambalaya recipe. This one sounds great!
Your choking story reminds me of when my mom came to visit and nearly choked to death on a piece of broccoli. My hubby was able to do the Heimlich maneuver and dislodge the floret, but not without seriously bruising her ribs. All three of us thought she was going to die right there in the dining room.
Yay! Thank you helping me finally find a jambalaya recipe WITHOUT okra. I don’t like any vegetable floating in my soup that is simultaneously hairy and slimy. This recipe sounds delicious!
Thanks,
Elizabeth
Seriously. Everyone should learn the Heimlich. I nearly choked on a piece of pizza once and my husband tried to perform it on me, but he had me around my belly instead of up under my ribcage. He was lifting me off the ground and jiggling me around with all the pressure on my abdomen until I finally gasped enough air to eek out the word “higher” at which point he moved his hands to the right place and the bite of pizza went shooting across the kitchen. My then-18-month-old son, having watched the whole scenario unfold, saw the pizza fly out, giggled and shouted, “Do it again, Mommy!” So much for my fear that he would be traumatized by the whole ordeal. Me, on the other hand…I had a fear of hot pizza with stringy cheese for quite some time.
Son of a gun I’m gonna have big fun on the bayou!
I’ve never had jambalaya. My husband has the same throat condition so maybe I should take a CPR class before I make this recipe!
With all due apologies and sympathy to P, that was an absolute scream! I’ve never laughed so hard reading a food post in my life. Except for maybe the last time you posted a recipe. This one is going in the file (as opposed to the file’ – did you catch that – I made a Cajun joke!) because despite never having been the NEw Orleans I love Cajun food! The first time I had it was 8 years ago at Pappadeaux in Houston (and now you’ll tell me that Cajun food at Pappadeaux is like Mexican at Taco Bell or something, but what do I know!?) At any rate, it was a revelation to my clueless SoCal palate and I loved it and now have 2 whole Cajun recipes to satisfy my Cajun cravings!!! 😉
So, you freak out about raw chicken, but not 2 pounds of RAW SHRIMP??? I’m just going to go ahead and assume someone else did the deveining! I’m a total germophobe, but give me poultry over shellfish any day. 🙂
One time a friend hid in my car and jumped out from behind my backseat. I threw my phone, keys and purse screamed at the top of my lungs with my eyes closed waving my arms around frantically. They just said, “Wow you would be awesome in a crisis.”
So the running out of the room speaks to me. I don’t judge it.
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one with raw chicken issues. Seriously, I don’t want to touch the stuff….ever. The recipe sounds good, I might just try it tonight.
BAHAHAHAHA!
I never did kill my husband, but, to hear him tell it, you’d think that beef turnovers almost did. In all actuality, they were just gross.
Yeah…I meant to say “TRIED to kill…” Kinda changes the tenor of my post…
I want to know how they fixed his esophagus problems! We could use that!
How long did he suffer without breath? I’m so traumatized right now. I did laugh, though, that Amy ran away because she didn’t want to see him throw up.
This was clearly a very frightening and dangerous situation. Why did I laugh so hard then? 🙂