Creole Jambalaya - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, diced (with tops)
1/4 cup bacon drippings or 1/4 cup cooking oil
2 teaspoons minced parsley
1/2 lb ham, cut into small cubes
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 large bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (or other hot bottled sauce)
1 (14 ounce) can tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups water
2 cups uncooked rice
1 1/2 lbs fresh raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 lb smoked beef sausage
Chicken Jambalaya
3 lbs chicken, cut up
1/2 lb Polish sausage, sliced

Preparation

Cook onions, garlic, green pepper and celery in the bacon drippings or cooking oil until onion is browned.
Add parsley, ham, thyme, and bay leaves; cook 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add salt, hot sauce, tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, and 2 cups of water; simmer 5 minutes.
Add rice; reduce heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes.
Add shrimp and smoked sausage; cover and simmer 10 or 15 minutes longer or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
Season to taste with salt and more hot sauce.
-------Chicken Jambalaya--------.
Add chicken and polish sausage.
When the onion-celery mix is done, finish as directed, omitting ham and shrimp.