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FESTIVALS
Jambalaya, My Way
“This recipe is made with tomatoes, so
don’t even think of serving it to anyone from
Gonzalez.” —Marcelle
Makes 4 to 6 servings
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
6
tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped green onions
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1
large green bell pepper,
seeded and chopped
1
cup chopped celery
1
teaspoon minced garlic
1 pound medium shrimp,
peeled and deveined
1 pound cubed ham or tasso
1 pound smoked sausage,
cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices
2
cups diced tomatoes
1
cup chicken stock
Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste
2
bay leaves
11 cups long-grain rice, uncooked
TABASCO® Hot Sauce, to taste
HOW TO PREP
Heat the butter in a large, heavy pot over
medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers,
celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, until
vegetables are soft and lightly golden, 10 to
12 minutes.
Add the shrimp, ham and sausage. Cook,
stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the shrimp
turn pink.
Stir in the tomatoes and chicken broth.
Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper.
Add the bay leaves and the rice. Cover
and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook
until the rice is tender and all the liquid is
absorbed, about 25 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves and serve. Pass the
hot sauce!
Chef John Folse’s Pork,
Chicken & Andouille
Jambalaya
Serves 6
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
1
pound cubed pork butt
1
pound cubed chicken
1
pound sliced andouille
1 cup oil
2
cups chopped onions
2
cups chopped celery
1
cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup diced garlic
7
cups chicken stock
2
cups sliced mushrooms
1
cup sliced green onions
1 cup chopped parsley
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Dash of Louisiana Gold Pepper Sauce
4
cups Uncle Ben’s® Long Grain Rice
HOW TO PREP
In a 2-gallon, cast-iron Dutch oven, heat oil
over medium-high heat. Sauté cubed pork
until dark brown on all sides and until some
pieces are sticking to the bottom of the
pot, approximately 30 minutes. This is very
important, as the brown color of jambalaya is
derived from the color of the meat.
Add cubed chicken and andouille, and stir
for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, “long
and low.” Tilt the pot to one side and ladle
out all oil except for one large spoonful.
Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic.
Continue cooking until all vegetables are
well-caramelized; however, be very careful,
as vegetables will tend to scorch since the
pot is so hot.
Add chicken stock; bring to a rolling boil and
reduce heat to simmer. Cook all ingredients
in stock approximately 15 minutes for flavors
to develop.
Add mushrooms, green onions and parsley.
Season to taste using salt, pepper and
Louisiana Gold. I suggest that you slightly
over-season, since the rice tends to require
a little extra seasoning. Add rice and bring to
a rolling boil.
Reduce heat to very low, then cover and
allow to cook 30 minutes, stirring once at
15 minutes. When cooked, stir again and let
steam for 10 minutes.
Gonzales Jambalaya Festival
Rouses is a proud sponsor of the 50th Annual
Gonzales Jambalaya Festival.
Friday, May 26-Sunday, May 28, 2017
cook-off whose winner is named World
Jambalaya Cooking Champion.
But then again, there are zealous cooks who
claim that the addition of tomatoes makes
for a richer-tasting jambalaya.
Who’s right, who’s wrong? That depends.
Let it be understood that there is one thing
upon which Cajuns
do
agree when it comes
to food, and that is, it must taste good. On
that score, both brown and red are fine.
Which you prefer is a matter for your own
taste buds.
Just as there are arguments about the color
of a good jambalaya, so are there discussions
as to what ingredients should be included
in the dish. There are those that say to use
only ham and shrimp, while others argue,
“Non, just shrimp.” And yet another says,
“You have to put lots of chopped onions,
bell peppers and celery,” only to have his
cousin say, “Non, just a little.”
Then to really confuse the issue, there’s a
difference of opinion about when to add
the rice. The addition of raw rice to the
pot, according to one school of thought,
allows all the flavors of the ingredients to
be absorbed together. The trick then is that
there must be the right amount of liquid in
proportion to the amount of rice to ensure
that the rice doesn’t get gummy.The experts
say that the rice must not clump together.
Although it strikes fear in many hearts,
there are some cooks who advocate cooking
the rice separately and adding it to the pot
of the cooked ingredients afterwards — just
don’t tell anybody.
So who are you going to believe? The thing
to do is to try it for yourself using whatever
comes to mind, in whatever combination
your taste buds tell you is right.
“The Creole name ‘jambalaya’ is derived from the French word for
ham, “jambon,” and an African word for rice, ‘yaya.’ Yet, it is probable
that Valencian paella is the forerunner of this classic Louisiana dish.
Paella ismadewith a variety of ingredients includingmeat or seafood,
white rice and white beans. Sound familiar? It’s easy to see why
Louisianans usually top their meat-flavored jambalaya with a healthy
ladle of creamy, white beans. The dish is truly a mélange of cultures.”
—Chef John Folse