Recipe: Bacon and Artichoke Jambalaya

This Cupboard Challenge gave us a great supper last night. This quick and easy version of a jambalaya fits in the huge family of rice dishes cooked with broth, meat, and vegetables. Pilaf, pulao, biryani, paella - they all are variations on this theme.

For this, bacon is cooked until getting crispy and fragrant, stirred with artichokes, olives, and tomatoes, and simmered with rice until soft and tender. All the ingredients infuse the rice with flavor - this is warm, bright comfort food for the edge of spring.

Bacon and Artichoke Jambalaya
serves two

1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
Red pepper flakes (optional)
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and cut into quarters
1 1/2 cups short grain rice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 can diced Italian tomatoes, well-drained
1 can black olives, well-drained
3 cups chicken stock, or stock mixed with water
Black pepper, if needed

Cook the bacon in a heavy Dutch oven or stockpot until cooked and getting browned. Add the pepper flakes and artichokes. Cook until fragrant, then add the rice. Fry until golden, then add the vinegar, tomatoes, and olives. Fry for a few moments, then add the chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes.

Remove the lid, stir and serve.

Comments (6)

This sounds wonderful! I'd just been thinking about some kind of dish that might involve olives and the tangy taste of sun-dried tomatoes or I didn't know what--the artichokes can do exactly that. And by using just a little bacon for the flavor and adding some cut up chicken breast, you could make it a little healthier and maybe even a little more interesting.

posted by Terry B on April 5th 2007 at 7:24am
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Good ideas Terry - and I forgot to mention the best part: it only uses one pot. :-)

posted by faith on April 5th 2007 at 7:35am
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This may be a stupid question, but it seems like you don't drain off the bacon grease?

posted by jessica aka twergi on April 5th 2007 at 8:19am
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I didn't here, jessica - this was relatively lean bacon (oxymoron? :-) - and the bacon fat is what the vegetables and rice are sauteed in, instead of oil or butter. Also, this is what flavors the rice.

posted by faith on April 5th 2007 at 8:41am
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That's what I thought, faith... I just wanted to make sure before I tried it and ended up with what could potentially be a greasy fatty mess :)

posted by jessica aka twergi on April 5th 2007 at 10:29am
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I think this would be fantastic with Quinoa too (i.e. instead of rice). Will try the quinoa version tonight and let you know.

posted by Nisha on April 5th 2007 at 12:52pm
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