Jambalaya

[FistFullaRoux]

I've had them in stews and gumbos. It's a different thing than fresh shrimp, and if you go into it without that expectation of them being like fresh, you will find them good in their own right. You don't use nearly as many in a gumbo, however.

I usually de-salt them a little (a quick rinse in cold water, or a quick blanching of 1 or 2 minutes in boiling water) before using them in gumbo.

They are even better, as mentioned above, the next day when you drop a boiled egg or 6 into the gumbo when you reheat it. You can poach the eggs in the broth, but that's not what I grew up with. Never had the reason to try them poached. Just drop in the peeled hard boiled eggs to take the place of the now heavily depleted shrimp in the batch. Now when I'm talking gumbo, I'm talking roux, not okra. Eggs in okra would be something pretty far down on my list of things to eat if I were hungry, and had a choice in the matter.

[My Confusing Horoscope]

Great looking jambalaya! This can't be what someone earlier referred to as red rice?

I make the Andouille and Cabbage Jambalaya from the Prudhomme Family Cookbook (Darilee and Saul's recipe). It calls for a bit of tomato too. I usually use kielbasa since I don't have andouille. I hope to make it to Jacob's on my next trip to LA.

[Mayhaw Man]

Eggs in okra would be something pretty far down on my list of things to eat if I were hungry, and had a choice in the matter.

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An omelette made with leftover okra and tomatoes (this rarely happens, but it IS possible) is a fine thing. Why is it, really, that you all feel that just because the word okra is mentioned everyone, but eveyone, even a gentleman like yourself, feels it important to weigh in on his personal stance on Okra? Is it really, really that controversial?

Why can't we all just be friends?

[FistFullaRoux]

I was referring only to clear up any potential misconceptions about the eggs in gumbo, and wanted to specify which one I prefer. My feelings on okra are known here. It's simply not my second or even third choice.

Besides, you would probably agree than the consitency of an okra gumbo with an egg floating in it would be curious at best.

[patti]

We needed to clean out the freezer tonight, so in addition to finally doing something with all those poultry carcasses (making stock) it was time to start using some of the older stuff in our feezer inventory.

Here's a Jambalaya we made this evening:

It has Andouille from Wayne Jacob's Smokehouse in La Place, and tasso and chaurice from Poche's Market in Breaux Bridge.

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Jason, it looks great! I know you previously stated that jambalaya must have tomatoes. Were there any in this dish?

I think the closer you get to New Orleans, the more likely you'll see red jambalaya. I like them both, but if I make it, it's brown. I find that my Creole friends are more likely to make it red than my Cajun friends.

Edited December 23, 2005 by patti (log)

[patti]

That's a great-looking jambalaya....what kind of rice did you use?  Personally, I go for a drier, fluffier texture.  To each his own...but don't bring those tomatoes to my house.

I'm really replying about the dried shrimp part of the discussion.  I beg to differ with Mayhaw's assertion that they're only a beer snack.  In the bayous of Lafourche & Terrebonne Parishes, dried shrimp are used in a variety of dishes:  shrimp & potato stew, smothered mirliton & shrimp, in gumbo, with okra, etc.  All of these dishes are hard-core home cooking, so unless you've got a cajun grandma or grandpa in the kitchen, you probably won't encounter them.

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Some of my black Creole friends (in the Lafayette/Iberia Parish area) regularly use dried shrimp in their seafood gumbos and stews, as well.

[bavila]

Eggs in okra would be something pretty far down on my list of things to eat if I were hungry, and had a choice in the matter.

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Is it really, really that controversial?

Why can't we all just be friends?

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Well, Brooks, you were the one to throw down the gauntlet: Okra, yes or no-There can be no bystanders.

A stewed okra and toms omelette sounds yummy.

[Mayhaw Man]

Eggs in okra would be something pretty far down on my list of things to eat if I were hungry, and had a choice in the matter.

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Is it really, really that controversial?

Why can't we all just be friends?

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Well, Brooks, you were the one to throw down the gauntlet: Okra, yes or no-There can be no bystanders.

A stewed okra and toms omelette sounds yummy.

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It's good to know who your friends are. That's all.

[Jason Perlow]

Jason, it looks great! I know you previously stated that jambalaya must have tomatoes. Were there any in this dish?

I think the closer you get to New Orleans, the more likely you'll see red jambalaya. I like them both, but if I make it, it's brown. I find that my Creole friends are more likely to make it red than my Cajun friends.

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Well, I don't think that Jambalaya -must- have tomatoes. I personally like it with tomatoes, I guess because I've never had Jambo outside of New Orleans -- all the versions I have tried have at least some tomato in it.

The version above definitely has some tomatoes in it -- tomato juice from a 14oz can of roma tomatoes (although Ro-Tel would be better if you have any), about half the tomatoes from that can, plus chicken stock. There are recipes that call for a lot more tomatoes , like 2 cans to 2 cups of rice, which i think would be too much. I think the Jambo we made above could have easily taken the whole can of tomatoes plus the liquid without it being overkill as it was 2 cups of rice plus the stock and about 3 cups of liquid (2 cups stock, approx 1 cup of tomato juice from the can). Some recipes also call for actual tomato paste. The result above was not overpoweringly tomato-ey.

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I've never tried it, but Austin Leslie's Jambalaya recipe sounds very good (and flexible although somewhat meat-heavy - you could easily cut the meat by 1/2) and also not overpoweringly tomato-ey:

Saute/Brown:

2 lbs cubed Ham (type not specified, I assume he means any kind of ham, including Tasso)

2 lbs sliced Smoked Sausage (type not specified, I assume he means Andouille or even Kielbasa)

1 Large Onion, chopped

5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 stalk of celery, chopped

Then add and cook for 30 minutes covered on low heat:

2 cups of uncooked rice

2 lbs Deveined Shrimp

1 16oz can of whole tomatoes (he says to mash them up in the pot, I presume if you used a canned variety that was already cut up like Ro-Tel this would work equally well)

1 tsp thyme

2 bay leaves

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 cups of stock (he specifies shrimp stock, but I assume you can use any stock)

Stir in after Jambalaya is cooked:

1/2 cup shallots, thinly sliced

1/2 cup of parsley, chopped

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One of my favorite Jambos was at Crabby Jack's, the casual restaurant owned by Jack Leonardi of Jacques-Imos fame:

This is a plate of fried oysters (killer) with Jambo. Note that it too has tomato.

[Timh]

The Yellow Bowl, somewhere around Lafayette I think, though I dont remember exactly. The Jambalaya was kickin like karate(Brown, but with tasso added). I detest any steam table variety, unless it was just served up. I also had a very good one down in Cocodrie, at the house party of a waitress in my restaurant(Houma), Beer, 'blaya, bayou babes, man , why did I leave?

[joiei]

Chef John Folse has a recipe for Dried Shrimp Gumbo in his book The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine . I ran across it today.

[HungryC]

Yellow Bowl's in Jeanerette.

--And I think that jambalaya is one of the few foods that holds up well on a steam table.

--I finally remembered where I'd seen a reference to red rice. I found it in a cookbook from the Carolinas.

[Hassouni]

First attempt ever at jambalaya. One week ago tonight I had the rather epic rabbit, sausage, shrimp, and Tasso jambalaya from Coop’s Place on Decatur in the Quarter, and have been craving it ever since. Tonight’s was simple:

 

locally made andouille, chicken thighs, all browned, trinity cooked in remaining oil until very brown and reduced, meat added back, garlic, green onion, and seasonings added, and cooked in plain water, with jasmine rice. Deeeelicious. Who knew you could get soccarat in jambalaya?

 

Served with maquechoux (sort of) made with heirloom tomatoes and local corn 

[KennethT]

10 hours ago, Hassouni said:

First attempt ever at jambalaya. One week ago tonight I had the rather epic rabbit, sausage, shrimp, and Tasso jambalaya from Coop’s Place on Decatur in the Quarter, and have been craving it ever since. Tonight’s was simple:

 

locally made andouille, chicken thighs, all browned, trinity cooked in remaining oil until very brown and reduced, meat added back, garlic, green onion, and seasonings added, and cooked in plain water, with jasmine rice. Deeeelicious. Who knew you could get soccarat in jambalaya?

 

Served with maquechoux (sort of) made with heirloom tomatoes and local corn 

I love Coop's.... my wife and I would go there for dinner for the first night (we usually landed pretty late) every time we went to NO, which, for a while was once a year.  I'm glad to hear their Jambalaya is still holding up....  also, I don't if this is still true, but years ago, they would only have Tabasco hot sauce on the table, but upon request, they would dig out a bottle of Crystal from behind the bar...