When I asked my culinary students what kind of jambalaya they prefer, they all started talking at once. The majority believed the only kind of jambalaya that should pass their lips is the brown kind, made with chicken and sausage.
But a few favored a jambalaya that included tomatoes, along with various other ingredients such as shrimp, ham, tasso or sausage. I brought out a treasure trove of jambalaya information I've been collecting for years and gave them some background on this much-loved, yet controversial, south Louisiana favorite.
Jambalaya is a rice-based dish containing an assortment of meats and vegetables that are all prepared in a single cooking vessel. American food critics and cultural commentators frequently identify jambalaya as a Cajun or Creole dish, exemplifying the best of Louisiana's versatile culinary traditions. To others, however, jambalaya seems little more than a Gallicized variation of paella. Yet jambalaya may be the product of mutually reinforcing culinary traditions brought to Louisiana from two continents.
That Louisiana's Gallic community would adopt a Spanish dish should not be surprising. The Pelican State was a Spanish possession for four decades in the late 18th century, and, throughout its history, Louisiana has maintained close ties with the Spanish communities of the Caribbean Rim.
The date paella was introduced into Louisiana remains a matter of speculation, but it probably does indeed date from the late 18th century. Underlying this claim is the fact that traditional consumption of the dish is concentrated in areas settled by Hispanic immigrants. For example, Gonzales, Louisiana's self-proclaimed jambalaya capitol, lies near the colonial-era Isleno (Canary Island) settlement of Galveztown.
The rural jambalaya tradition differs in some notable aspects from its urban counterpart in New Orleans. In rural south Louisiana, jambalaya is brown because the rice in the dish absorbs the sauce in which it is cooked. It's traditionally cooked in cast-iron pots because they can be used at very high cooking temperatures, resulting in more complete caramelization of natural sugars in meats and vegetables. The resulting brown coloring is absorbed by the rice.
In New Orleans, jambalaya is often red because of the heavy use of tomatoes, considered one of the hallmarks of Creole cuisine. New Orleans jambalaya may be an offshoot of jollof rice, a West African delicacy. Jollof rice is similar to paella in that ingredients include whatever happens to be available, but tomatoes and rice are key ingredients. Like paella and jambalaya, the entire dish of jollof rice is prepared in a single pot.
That said, I think that whatever kind of jambalaya you grew up eating is the one your taste buds come to prefer. Personally, I like all types of jambalaya.
There are those who use only ham and shrimp, while others argue "non, just shrimp." No, only chicken and sausage. But what about a duck and sausage jambalaya? Hey, remember the one made with pork ribs? That's good, yes. 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."
And what amount of rice and liquid goes into the pot? Long grain or short grain rice? Well, it really doesn't matter what kind of rice as long as all the flavors of the ingredients are absorbed together. The rice shouldn't be gummy and should not clump together. Past that, I say cook it the way you like it, and I'll do the same. If you like tomatoes in your jambalaya, I think you'll like this one.
Jambalaya, My Way
Makes 4 to 6 servings
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and julienne
1 cup coarsely chopped celery
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound cubed boiled ham
1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (optional)
1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed with the can juices
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and cayenne
2 bay leaves
1 cup long-grain rice, uncooked
Hot sauce
Heat the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, until they are soft and lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the shrimp and ham, and sausage if using. Cook 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. 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!
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This next one is a great dish to serve on New Year's Day.
Black-Eyed Pea Jambalaya
Makes 10 to 12 servings
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 pound cubed ham
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
2 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas with jalapenos
1 (14-ounce) can beef broth
Salt and cayenne to taste
8 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add sausage, ham, onions, and bell peppers. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are golden, about 8 minutes.
Add the peas and beef broth and reduce the heat to medium-low. Season with salt and cayenne. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
Add the rice, a little at a time, and gently stir to mix. The mixture should be moist but not soggy. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the green onions and serve warm.
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My friend Eula Mae Dore, who passed away a couple of years ago, showed me how to make this jambalaya, and I think it's one of the best around.
Eula Mae's Chicken And Ham Jambalaya
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 fryer chicken, about 3 pounds, boned and skinned, or 1-1/2 pounds skinless, boneless breasts and thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound cooked ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 cup chopped celery
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3 cups chicken broth
1 (1-pound) can whole tomatoes, chopped with all their liquid from the can
1/2 cup chopped green onions (green part only)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 pounds medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon Tabasco brand pepper sauce
2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed and drained
Sprinkle the chicken with salt, black pepper and cayenne. Heat oil in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a large bowl.
Add ham to the pot and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the ham to the chicken in the bowl.
Add onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic to the pot and cook, scraping bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. Return chicken and ham to the pot, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add chicken broth and reserved tomato juice, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
Mash the cooked garlic against the sides of the pot and blend into the mixture. Add tomatoes, green onions, parsley, shrimp and Tabasco and adjust seasoning to taste. Add the rice, cover the pot and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and fluffy and the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
Serve warm.
