Q-Dat
Babbling Farker
I love me some Jambalaya. Being in South Louisiana naturally its one of the things I grew up eating. Sometimes I will see someone on TV cooking or eating something that they call "Jambalaya" and I will just shake my head just like every time a movie is set in Louisiana, yet every character sounds like they are from a Georgia plantation.
Jambalaya is one of those classic Louisiana dishes that came about from a combination of cultures. However the culture that probably contributed the most to its creation were the Spanish that settled in South Louisiana. Some might argue this, but it most likely came about when the Spanish set about to make Paella, but could not get exactly the ingredients that they would normally use. So they substituted as best they could and through their ingenuity, and many many years of the dish's evolution we have what we now know as Jambalaya.
Jambalayas fall into two main categories Cajun(Brown) and Creole(Red) I will do my best to explain the difference.
Brown or Cajun Jambalaya is normally what you will find outside of the New Orleans area. It typically does not contain tomatoes or seafood although it could and normally people in the Cajun areas of the state such as Houma, Lafayette, Opelousas, Gonzales, Lake Charles, etc prefer this style.
Red or Creole Jambalaya is what you are most likely to get if you visit a restaurant in New Orleans that has Jambalaya on their menu. It will be heavy on the tomatoes, and will most likely have seafood of some kind, usually shrimp, but may also include sausage or some other meat.
All that being said, there is no right or wrong way to make Jambalaya, because it came about as a result of people using what they had. This is "a" Jambalaya recipe, not "the" Jambalya recipe. Whatever your personal preference is its all good!
Now lets get started. This Jambalaya is going to be a Brown with a touch of Red. I'm not making it very hot like I would for just myself. If you want it hotter just add some cayenne. A cast iron pot is best for this, but any good heavy pot with a good fitting lid will do. At the very least you want the bottom of the pot to be heavy.
First get your ingredients ready
Cut up 2 lbs of your favorite smoked sausage.
Then cut up 1 lb of chicken. I just used boneless skinless breasts for convenience.
Then the veggies.
Finely dice 1-1/2 medium onions.
3 ribs of celery.
1/2 of a bell pepper.
About a half head of garlic.
You will also need three bay leaves, one 8oz can of tomato sauce, two 14oz cans of chicken broth, and 1-1/2 tbsp of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning.
And three cups of long grain rice. You can use par boiled which I actually prefer, but the cooking time will be longer.
Start off by coating the bottom of your pot with bacon grease or other oil. Heat it until it begins to smoke then add the Sausage and onions.
Over medium/high heat, saute until the sausage is browned and the onions are tender, then add the chicken.
Saute about five minutes and then add the celery, bell pepper, garlic and bay leaves.
Saute about another 5-10 minutes until the celery, pepper, and garlic are tender. Then add the tomato sauce and the Tony C's.
Yeah its alot of steps but it is sooooo worth it!
Cook this mixture another 5-10 minutes or until the liquid is a gravy consistency, then add the rice, and mix well.
Stir while cooking another five minutes then add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
ATTENTION!!!!! This is THE MOST IMPORTANT PART!!!
After it comes to a boil, turn the heat as low as it will go, and put the lid on as tight as possible. DO NOT I repeat DO NOT REMOVE THE LID AT ALL!!! until the right amount of time has passed! If you are using regular long grain rice, you can take the lid off after 25 minutes if you use par boiled rice let it go for 45 minutes before checking. But dont touch that lid too early unless you want crunchy rice and dont let it go too long unless you want it mushy and gummy.
When the right time has passed shut off the heat and open the lid. There may be some liquid sitting on top, this is fine give it a good stir and this is what you should have.
It sounds like alot of work, but it really isn't that bad. And when its done you will have some "real" Louisiana Jambalaya!
Well there it is. Hopefully I didn't come off as a know it all, about Louisiana food, because I certainly don't. This is just my way of sharing one of my favorites with those of you who may not be as familiar with it.
Hope you all enjoy!
Jambalaya is one of those classic Louisiana dishes that came about from a combination of cultures. However the culture that probably contributed the most to its creation were the Spanish that settled in South Louisiana. Some might argue this, but it most likely came about when the Spanish set about to make Paella, but could not get exactly the ingredients that they would normally use. So they substituted as best they could and through their ingenuity, and many many years of the dish's evolution we have what we now know as Jambalaya.
Jambalayas fall into two main categories Cajun(Brown) and Creole(Red) I will do my best to explain the difference.
Brown or Cajun Jambalaya is normally what you will find outside of the New Orleans area. It typically does not contain tomatoes or seafood although it could and normally people in the Cajun areas of the state such as Houma, Lafayette, Opelousas, Gonzales, Lake Charles, etc prefer this style.
Red or Creole Jambalaya is what you are most likely to get if you visit a restaurant in New Orleans that has Jambalaya on their menu. It will be heavy on the tomatoes, and will most likely have seafood of some kind, usually shrimp, but may also include sausage or some other meat.
All that being said, there is no right or wrong way to make Jambalaya, because it came about as a result of people using what they had. This is "a" Jambalaya recipe, not "the" Jambalya recipe. Whatever your personal preference is its all good!
Now lets get started. This Jambalaya is going to be a Brown with a touch of Red. I'm not making it very hot like I would for just myself. If you want it hotter just add some cayenne. A cast iron pot is best for this, but any good heavy pot with a good fitting lid will do. At the very least you want the bottom of the pot to be heavy.
First get your ingredients ready
Cut up 2 lbs of your favorite smoked sausage.
Then cut up 1 lb of chicken. I just used boneless skinless breasts for convenience.
Then the veggies.
Finely dice 1-1/2 medium onions.
3 ribs of celery.
1/2 of a bell pepper.
About a half head of garlic.
You will also need three bay leaves, one 8oz can of tomato sauce, two 14oz cans of chicken broth, and 1-1/2 tbsp of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning.
And three cups of long grain rice. You can use par boiled which I actually prefer, but the cooking time will be longer.
Start off by coating the bottom of your pot with bacon grease or other oil. Heat it until it begins to smoke then add the Sausage and onions.
Over medium/high heat, saute until the sausage is browned and the onions are tender, then add the chicken.
Saute about five minutes and then add the celery, bell pepper, garlic and bay leaves.
Saute about another 5-10 minutes until the celery, pepper, and garlic are tender. Then add the tomato sauce and the Tony C's.
Yeah its alot of steps but it is sooooo worth it!
Cook this mixture another 5-10 minutes or until the liquid is a gravy consistency, then add the rice, and mix well.
Stir while cooking another five minutes then add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
ATTENTION!!!!! This is THE MOST IMPORTANT PART!!!
After it comes to a boil, turn the heat as low as it will go, and put the lid on as tight as possible. DO NOT I repeat DO NOT REMOVE THE LID AT ALL!!! until the right amount of time has passed! If you are using regular long grain rice, you can take the lid off after 25 minutes if you use par boiled rice let it go for 45 minutes before checking. But dont touch that lid too early unless you want crunchy rice and dont let it go too long unless you want it mushy and gummy.
When the right time has passed shut off the heat and open the lid. There may be some liquid sitting on top, this is fine give it a good stir and this is what you should have.
It sounds like alot of work, but it really isn't that bad. And when its done you will have some "real" Louisiana Jambalaya!
Well there it is. Hopefully I didn't come off as a know it all, about Louisiana food, because I certainly don't. This is just my way of sharing one of my favorites with those of you who may not be as familiar with it.
Hope you all enjoy!
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