Cedar Meadow Farm Smoked Ham Jambalaya 

So you find yourself with a smoked ham steak from Cedar Meadow Farm.  If you are like my wife, your first instinct is to heat it up in pan and serve it with some traditional sides, or maybe go for a ham and egg breakfast (hopefully some CMF eggs).   Not a bad meal, I admit, but after a few of those you may want to branch out and try something a little different.  That’s how I came about cooking this meal.  My family loves shrimp, but I do not.  So I was inspired to come up with a quick easy jambalaya recipe that would allow them to enjoy both shrimp and smoked ham in a dish that still makes it easy on the chef.  We love one pan dishes here at the farm!  When I have this meal, I have to confess I don’t share my shrimp- the ham and shrimp are just magic together.  

Olive oil to coat bottom of pan

1 med yellow onion diced

1 cup rice

1 cup white wine

2 Tbs hot paprika (Spanish preferred)

2 Bay leaves

28 oz can of skinned whole tomatoes with juices

1.5 to 2 lbs of   Cedar Meadow Farm Smoked ham shoulder or steak cut into ½ inch cubes

1 small green pepper seeded and diced

1 lb of whole shrimp deveined and rinsed (keep shells on for more shrimp flavor)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cayenne pepper if desired  

In a large (5 Quart) heavy sauté pan or skillet add olive oil and sauté onion until just translucent.  Add wine and rice stirring until wine reduced to half before adding paprika, bay leaves and stir to coat rice then add tomatoes with liquids.  Stir, add pork and simmer covered until rice is almost cooked (about 20 minutes) stirring occasionally adding liquid if necessary (water, tomato juice, V-8 or wine or any combination can be added to keep rice cooking as needed).  Add green pepper when rice is nearly done followed by shrimp.  Remove from heat and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper when shrimp cooked through be careful not to overcook shrimp.  Jambalaya should be moist but firm, not soupy adjust if necessary.  Remove bay leaves, serve and enjoy.