Continuing our series of travel-inspired recipes, we’re tackling an iconic Louisiana dish, jambalaya. Its origins are unknown with some theories suggesting jambalaya is a New World play on the Spanish paella; others stipulate that the name points to a West African heritage. What we do know is that it has become a culinary representation of the diverse cultures found in the state.
Along with gumbo, beignets and po-boys, jambalaya ranks as one of the food items every visitor must try when visiting New Orleans. In the Big Easy, the dish is characterized as “red” jambalaya as the Creole variety utilizes tomatoes. The Cajun version found outside of New Orleans in Acadiana is labeled as “brown” jambalaya because of its lack of tomatoes.
Because I’m from New Orleans and thinking about the toll COVID-19 is taking on the city, I thought I’d try recreating my beloved hometown’s jambalaya. It’s not an intimating dish to make because you can make it in one pot! And it’s one of those dishes that doesn’t require following a recipe. You just need the basic ingredients:
Ingredients (minus proteins) for jambalaya - wine in LSU glass optional!
Long grain rice
Protein – chicken, sausage (preferably andouille) and/or shrimp
Diced tomatoes
Cajun seasoning
Holy trinity – onion, pepper, celery
Chicken broth/beer
Olive oil
Bay leaf
Like many of you guys out there, my refrigerator and pantry aren’t well-stocked at the moment. As a result, I had to improvise – like another New Orleans tradition, jazz. Long grain rice, a staple in Louisiana cooking, is currently not available in my local grocery stories. Unfortunately, I had to settle for rice in a bag. (The horror!) I also didn’t have andouille sausage, so I used chicken and (frozen) shrimp as the proteins. And my vegetable tray was missing celery, so instead of the holy trinity I had a holy dyad! Here it goes…
First thing, sauté the holy trinity – or whatever you have – in olive oil. After the base vegetables are nice and soft, add diced chicken dressed in the Cajun seasoning of your choice. Brown the chicken and add shrimp. Before the shrimp are fully done (don’t want them to get rough), add rice and liquid. I used a combo of chicken broth and beer for good flavor. It’s easy to measure the liquid ratio with normal rice – two cups of liquid for one cup of rice. Because I used rice in a bag, I realized that I used too much liquid so added another bag of rice to absorb the broth/beer combo. Add more Cajun seasoning and the diced tomatoes as the rice simmers. Throw in a bay leaf for additional flavoring. As you would while in New Orleans, enjoy a cold beer, glass of wine or your poison as you watch the jambalaya come together which should be about 25-30 minutes. I wasn’t watching the clock, sorry!
The finished product - would be nice to finish with some green onions or cliantro for color
When you’re ready to eat, pair the rice dish with hot French bread like in New Orleans. We do love our carbs! A nice salad would be delish too.
Dreaming of adding this NOLA Italian salad to my jambalaya meal…
We hope that you’re inspired to create this classic Louisiana dish or to use this extra time you have at home to whip up your favorite dishes. Be sure to share with us!