Rouses_May-June-2018

the Eat Local issue Another newer mix is The Cajun Spoon’s Fine Cajun Cuisine Jambalaya, which has one of the most attractive packages I purchased. (Unsurprisingly, the co-owner of the Baton Rouge company is a graphic designer.) Ryan Grizzaffi is in charge of all the recipes, while wife Kristen does packaging and web design. For every box sold,The Cajun Spoon donates one to a food bank. “That’s just who we are,” Grizzaffi said. Donations have expanded to include a scholarship to the LSU College of Agriculture.The company regularly feeds the flood-displaced and homeless after flooding events around the area. The Cajun Spoon started as a food truck in 2014, which evolved into a catering business. By 2016, they were in the retail business, selling mixes for jambalaya, bisque, chicken and dumplings, and more.

When adding sausage to jambalaya, Grizzaffi said, “I like smaller and bigger links, and use two kinds of sausage, a thicker and a thinner one. Use one andouille and one regular hickory smoked sausage.” Bart Stryker sometimes makes his jambalaya with bacon. Stryker is director of sales and marketing for Mam Papaul’s. The company’s Original New Orleans Style Entree Jambalaya Mix was introduced in 1972, long before the nationwide Cajun craze in the mid- 1980s, when Zatarain’s, Louisiana Fish Fry and others introduced jambalaya mixes. Founder Nancy Wilson named the company after her grandmother, and the recipes are hers or her grandmother’s. Wilson sold Mam Papaul’s to another third-generation Louisiana food company, Blend Mark, in Harvey, where her products were manufactured. Wilson still consults with Blend Mark on product development.

(Creole) jambalaya is red, from the tomatoes that are part of this dish. Lots of old New Orleans recipes also included smoked, diced ham. Most of the mixes, such as Ryan’s Cajun Pantry Cajun Brown Jambalaya Mix, are brown (Cajun) ones. Kary’s Roux Seasoned Jambalaya Mix, from the Ville Platte company that makes jarred roux, is one of them — so is Cajun Land Jambalaya Mix, made by Deep South Blenders in Jefferson, Louisiana, and Oak Grove Smokehouse Creole Jambalaya Mix, based in Prairieville. Oak Grove Smokehouse is the only mix that says wild game can be added, another very common, old-school jambalaya practice. And it’s the only one that says the mix can be prepared in a rice cooker.

A Cajun-born friend who is a terrific cook starts his homemade jambalaya with a roux, which may explain why brown jambalayas are that shade. To make jambalaya mix darker, add a spoonful of jarred roux, or the ingredient no one admits to using but always has in the pantry: Kitchen Bouquet. Another trick to make jambalaya browner and richer is to cook the sausage first, until it’s well browned. If you’re adding chicken, brown it in the sausage drippings, then pour off any remaining fat. The brown solids stuck on the bottom of the pan are flavoring gold. Stir and heat the liquid for the mix with a flat-edged spatula to dissolve these solids, scraping to incorporate them, then proceed with preparing the dish. Sausage and chicken are the most common additions

The Mam Papaul offering “is a red jambalaya, versus the more common brown jambalaya,” Stryker said. “It’s red but not as sweet as they sometimes can be.” And the packaging educates consumers about this very old dish. ‘“Jambon’ is ‘ham’ in French,” the box says. “Seasoned with tomato, it reminds us of the Spanish paella. Cooked with smoked sausage, the German influence comes into play.” Brown jambalaya now dominates all styles, so people may not be aware of the variety in the jambalaya color line. It’s linked to the fading differences between Creole and Cajun food. Traditional New Orleans-style

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MY ROUSES EVERYDAY MAY | JUNE 2018