Jerry's Jambalaya

Here's the recipe, derived from "The New Orleans Cookbook" by Rima and Richard Collin.  After, I'll say how I change the recipe.

Jambalaya

        On the old Airline Highway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge lies a small spanish Cajun town, Gonzales, the "Jambalaya Capital of the World".  Everyone has heard of jambalaya, but few persons outside of Gonzales know how delicious the authentic version of the dish can be.  Every June the inhabitants of Gonzales compete for the annual jambalaya cooking championship.  Huge three-legged iron pots are hauled to the center of town, where they are hung over open wood fires and stirred slowly and watchfully.  Jambalaya is eaten year round in Gonzales and each cook has his own favorite form of jambalaya and special jambalaya secrets.
         A rice dish descended from spanish "paella", jambalaya is seasoned with chili powder as well as cayenne; it is rare among local dishes to cook rice right in with the main ingredients.  One of the secrets of great jambalaya is the
way the hot chicken or sausage fat coats and seals the rice, so it keeps its  texture during long cooking while absorbing the flavors that surround it.  By using the right blend of seasonings you can prepare a jambalaya on a home range that is as pungent as the ones cooked over wood smoke. 

(The recipe from the book is HERE)

OK, well, first of all this is way too much salt!  I only
put in 1/2 to 1 tsp, and adjust as necessary later.  It may depend
on how salty the meat is.

Second, I use about 1 lb. Andouille sausages instead of all the meat
in the recipe.  Too much!  I put the sausage in with the vegetables
when this recipe calls for pork and ham, to sort of brown it
a little first.

Third, jambalaya ain't jambalaya without tomato sauce.  You can't
get a good crust without it.  Instead of 3c. beef stock, I use
1 can of beef stock, 1/3 cup water, and an 8 oz. can tomato sauce.

Fourth, I add the rice to the browning vegetables and sausage
for the last 5 minutes or so, and let it soak up the sausage
flavor, before adding the stock and tomato sauce.

So my recipe would be as below:

Jerry

Jerry Mouton       mailto:jerry@moutons.org
Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Ingredients:  for 6 servings

2 Tbs. salt butter

1 large onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1/3 c. thinly sliced green shallot (scallion) tops
2 Tbs. finely minced parsley

1/8 tsp. cayenne
1 Tbs. finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 whole bay leaves, crushed
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 to 1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 lb. Andouille (or Polish, or French Garlic) sausages
    sliced 1/2 inch thick and kept refrigerated
    You can use hot dogs instead! 

1 1/2 c. long grain white rice

1 medium can (14oz.) beef stock
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)
1/3 cup water

Preparation (about 1½ hours):

In a heavy 7- to 8- quart pot or kettle, melt the butter over low heat. 

Add the vegetables and parsley;

Continue to cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the vegetables begin to soften. 

Add the sausage and seasonings and stir to start it browning..

Add the rice when the sausage has started to brown  and stir to coat with the butter and sausage gravy. 

Let cook for about 5 minutes. 

Add tomato sauce (not paste) and beef stock and mix well, then raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. 

Taste and correct the salt and pepper to suit. 

Cover the pot, turn the heat to very low, and cook 45 minutes, uncovering from time to time to stir. 

Uncover the pot for the last 10 minutes of cooking and raise the heat to medium to allow the rice to dry out.  The blackened crust that forms on the bottom is one part of the special delicacies of this dish, so don’t stir too much!

Serve immediately.

Hmmmm...I wonder how it would taste with a tiny bit of smoke flavoring?

Creole Jambalaya  (Pork, Ham, and Sausage)  
From the "The New Orleans Cookbook" 
by Rima and Richard Collin

        The basic meat jambalaya is enriched by using beef stock in place of water.  If you have no stock on hand, you can easily prepare some from a good quality beef concentrate.  As in the preparation of gumbo, chop the vegetables and cut up the principal ingredients before beginning to cook.  We like our jambalaya very rich, but if you need to stretch it, double the amount of rice and water and add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper -- you'll have enough jambalaya to feed eight.  For a more delicately flavored variation, substitute lean veal for the pork.

Ingredients:  for 4 servings

2 Tbs. salt butter
4c. chopped onion
2/3 c. chopped green pepper
1/3 c. thinly sliced green  shallot (scallion) tops
1 Tbs. finely minced garlic
2 Tbs. finely minced parsley
1 lb. lean pork, cubed 3/4 in
1 c. finely chopped baked ham

6 Creole smoked (or Polish, or French Garlic) sausages sliced 1/2 inch thick and kept refrigerated
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 whole bay leaves, crushed
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 1/2 c. long grain rice
3c. rich beef stock

Preparation:

In a heavy 7- to 8- quart pot or kettle, melt the butter over low heat.  

Add the vegetables, parsley, pork, and ham; 

Continue to cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables and pieces of meat are browned.  

Add the sausage and seasonings and continue cooking and stirring over low heat for 5 minutes more.

Add the rice and beef stock and mix well, then 

raise the heat to high and bring to a boil.  

Cover the pot, turn the heat to very low, and cook 45 minutes, uncovering from time to time to stir.  

Uncover the pot for the last 10 minutes of cooking and raise the heat to medium to allow the rice to dry out, stirring very frequently. 

 Serve immediately.