Did you ever witness an argument between two cooks about what goes into an “authentic” jambalaya? The truth of the matter is… almost anything goes! What makes a jambalaya a jambalaya is the final bouquet resulting from a unique mix of flavors, textures and colors. It’s really an anything goes dish based on what type of taste you are going for. Also what type of meat is being used. The most common used is sausage (which is in mine) or anything from beef, ham, chicken, and many others. For the veggies, same as the meat whatever you can boil down and let simmer will work just fine. I’m not from Louisiana or anything but I must give credit where credit is due. This dish originated from there and through the times we human have evolved it to whatever our taste buds are used to. Louisiana’s history brims with different peoples and cultures, all of whom claim roles in jambalaya’s delicious creation: Spaniards, Frenchmen, Creoles, Cajuns, and African Americans. Thanks to the melting pot that comprised its origin, lots of variations arose. But in my family the first time my mother created this dish I thought it was boxed. Insulting my mother’s incredible cooking, I asked next time you make this may I please be in the kitchen when you do? She said this takes a lot of work and is not for a beginner cook. I replied I don’t care I must have this again. It was so many flavors in one that just matched. There would be times id have this like 3 times a week for dinner (can’t you tell haha.) But who cares about all of the history behind a food dish? As long as it tastes good that’s all that matters right? Now lets get down to business. Im going to show all of you wonderful classmates of mine how to make this dish you’ll be dying for seconds for.
For the jambalaya: 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter 1 medium onion, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 4 ounces smoked sausage, chopped 1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes, with juice 1 can low-sodium chicken stock (or 1 1/2 cups homemade) 1 glass dry white wine 1 teaspoon salt 1/2teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1/2teaspoon ground red pepper 1/2teaspoon ground white pepper 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1 teaspoon (or more) hot sauce, plus more for serving Another glass of wine (if needed) Hot cooked rice for serving Louisiana hot sauce
1. First, make the sauce. Place a small, heavy skillet over medium heat and heat the oil until it shimmers. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the roux is smooth and the color of peanut butter. Be careful that no black specks appear, and if they do, you must start over. So don’t turn away, don’t turn the heat up to high, and don’t stop whisking. It will only take a few minutes for this small amount. Set the skillet aside.
2. In a large, deep skillet or stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, peppers and celery, and the sausage. Season with salt and pepper and sauté, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have given off their liquid and the sausage has yielded its drippings. Just as the liquid is nearly evaporated, add the salt, ground peppers, garlic and diced chicken to the pan, and keep sautéing and stirring until the sausage pieces lose their pink color and the edges begin to brown.
3. Add the wine to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Dump in the can of tomatoes and the stock, and toss in the sprigs of thyme (You can fish the stems out later). Bring the pot up to a simmer and whisk in the roux. 4. If it gets too thick, stir in additional wine or water. Taste for salt, pepper and spice.
5. Spoon into bowls over hot cooked rice and bam you got a dish for the ages. I pre mixed it for the class.