Refined Jambalaya
This year, you may be having people over to your house for a Christmas feast or a New Years’ bacchanal, and the question in the back of your mind is: how can I feed the most amount of people for the least amount of effort and cost? Let me propose to you this recipe for jambalaya, which I’ve refined over the years. I don’t propose it as the definitive version, merely as one that I’ve been working on for a long time. (So by “refined” I don’t mean that it’s a fancy dish, because it isn’t.)
Before I was married, I made big pots of jambalaya and froze the excess quantities in Mason jars, which I would eat for weeks thereafter. I got the original recipe from my Grandma Jane, who with my grandfather used to live in Louisiana for a while. If you omit the shrimp, it’s pretty cheap, and the flavors are nothing short of spectacular. A bowl of it will fill your belly nicely, and its moderate amount of fat won’t increase your belly’s permanent size.
If you’re not familiar with jambalaya, it’s a Louisiana specialty that is made many different ways. At its most basic, it is sautéed vegetables and meat with rice. It can have a tomato-based sauce or a stock-based sauce; this version uses both. The meats lend themselves to substitution: people will use oysters or crawfish instead of (or in addition to) shrimp, and ham for the sausage, or duck for the chicken…anything you like, or anything that’s available.
To eat the leftovers, cover a bowl full of jambalaya with a plate to make sure it doesn’t dry out. Or don’t, if it’s moist enough to lose a little water in the process.
4 c. onions, chopped
2 c. green onions (including tops), chopped
1 c. green peppers, chopped
1 c. celery, chopped
¼-½ c. fresh parsley, minced
½ c. butter (one stick)
16 oz. canned diced tomatoes
8 oz. canned tomato sauce
12 oz. tomato paste
1 tbsp. basil (if dried; 2 tbsp. if fresh)
1 tbsp. oregano (if dried; 2 tbsp. if fresh)
4 med. cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. sausage (can be kielbasa, andouille, or whatever you like)
2 lbs. chicken meat
1 ½ lbs. large frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 c. long-grain white rice
8 c. stock or broth
Tabasco to taste
1. Roast or bake the chicken before commencing; leftover chicken is fine, as long as it’s not too highly seasoned.
2. Heat butter in a large stockpot (at least 12 quarts) until it has stopped frothing.
3. Throw in the onions, green onions, peppers, celery, and parsley, and sauté until onions are semi-transparent.
4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce, along with oregano, basil, and garlic. Stir until well-mixed.
5. Add rice and stock. Bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat, but keep an energetic simmer going. Let a substantial amount of the liquid evaporate. How much liquid is up to you – if you like a thicker jambalaya, then let more liquid evaporate. Regardless, don’t let the liquid get below the top of the ingredients. Stir frequently.
7. When you like the amount of liquid you see, add the shrimp and the chicken. Cover pot tightly, reduce heat to low, and let it cook for 45 minutes. Resist the urge to uncover the pot, as it may cause your rice to cook unevenly. Cook longer if the rice isn’t done.
8. Stir in a few shakes of Tabasco or other seasonings.
9. Serve in bowls along with salad and good bread, or maybe biscuits. Jambalaya will stay hot in a covered pot for an astonishing amount of time, but take it off the heat or the rice will get mushy, and nobody likes that.
Serves 12-18, depending on their appetites.