JAMBALAYA AND MEMORIES OF AN 80'S RESTAURANT
How often have I told you all that many of our family meals are the result of opening the
refrigerator and making a spontaneous decision on what to make? That's right, many times.
Everything doesn't have to be planned. I had a 1 1/2 lb piece of a loin of pork that needed to be
cooked or frozen. In this house going into the freezer is pretty much like going to the Electric
chair. You go in and you don't come out. I forget what's in there so rarely do I put anything down
to the deep freeze. At the same time I saw a piece of Andouille sausage on a shelf. Well,
there's dinner. Andouille sausage, a spicy smoked Cajun Sausage, think Kielbasa goes to New
Orleans, is an integral part of that awesome rice dish called JAMBALAYA. I've come to learn through
the magic of the web and my awesome Facebook friends (always sharing their foodie knowledge
with me) that there are two types of Jambalaya, one is Creole and is wetter, has tomatoes in it...
the other is Cajun, more dry and it's brown, no tomatoes. I cook with tomatoes more than 3 times
a week I would say, so tonight was going to be a no tomato night, i'll create a Cajun Jambalaya with
the pork, the andouille and some shrimp I have. Sounds like Paella you say?
You would be correct there. The Spanish colonists who were the first non-Native Americans in the
Louisiana area brought with them their cooking traditions and of course, when they saw they had rice
and seafood and game in abundance in the Bayous they used native foods, plentiful and available
and adapted them into their Paella. Add the influences from the Acadians (Cajuns) and the French
along with the cuisine of the African American slaves and it all comes together in this melting pot
dish call Jambalaya...lots of legends on how the name was derived..all sound suspect to me, so, we'll
dispense with all of that.
Scratching your head about the title of this blog? For those of you who lived or visited NYC back
in those Wall Street and Champagne driven 80's (still love the music) on of the "hot" spots was
a place on 9th St. off of 6th Avenue called Texarkana. Not long after it opened I brought some
clients...it was billed as NYC's most classy and most Cajun/Creole restaurant. This is where I
first had Jambalaya. I'd heard of it, but most supermarkets in Staten Island did not carry Tasso
Ham, or Andouille sausage, two common ingredients in the mix. You walked down those stairs
you see in that picture of it and into a below ground floor restaurant with a few levels. A long bar
met you with huge glass urns filled with watermelon juice mixed with vodka. After a few drinks
you sat at your table, hopefully having a bird's-eye view of the open fireplace where a suckling
pig was turning on the spit. These were the 80's, restaurants were just starting to become
food theater which we are practically bored with today. Back then it was FASCINATING! A
reservation here became a status symbol of sorts as it became more and more popular..but the
food was so good and different in a sea of Italian, Continental, Chinese, Steakhouse and Mexican
restaurants that Manhattan was so full of, you just had to go. Or find someone who would take you
(that would have been me, for some...lol). The Jambalaya was amazing, yes, amazing..or it just
was something new and different for my taste buds...New Orleans still on the bucket list, but here
is tonight's take on a Cajun Jambalaya.
1 1/2 lb. pork loin, cubed..coat it in 1 tsp. of Pimenton, 2 finely minced garlic cloves, 3 tbs. of Vinegar,
1/2 tsp. cayenne powder. Let this sit for about 1 hour. In a wide pan, add 2 tbs. of vegetable oil and
saute' till brown on both sides 3/4 lb of Andouille Sausage. Remove with a slotted spoon. Now
drain the pork and saute' that for about 7 minutes, till well browned on all side. Add this to the And-
ouille. Dice two green bell peppers, 1 sweet onion, 2 stalks of celery and saute' until soft, about 10
minutes. Add 2 sliced cloves of garlic and 1 tsp. of Fresh chopped thyme. Let this get fragrant, about
2 minutes, then add 1 1/2 cups rice and coat it well with all of the pan ingredients. Add 2 cups of
stock, 1/2 tsp. of saffron threads, 1/2 tsp. of cayenne, 1 tsp. of Tabasco Sauce and 2 bay leaves.
Now bring the stock to a boil and add the reserved meats. Stir well, add salt to taste. Bring down
to a simmer and cook partially covered for at least 25 minutes, or sooner, or later, making sure
the rice is nice and fluffy and has absorbed the stock. Add 1 lb. of medium shrimp, peeled and de-
veined and let this steam together for 10 minutes until the shrimp is cooked. Fluff it all up together
and you have a very lush and filling Jambalaya on your hands. Remove the bay leaves.
This treat will serve up to 8 people..just so you know, there are a million ways this dish is
"supposed" to be made. Be creative HOWEVER, stick to the foundation of ingredients which
never wavers...the smoked Andouille sausage, the rice, bell pepper, celery, onions, garlic,
cayenne, chicken or pork, and /or shrimp, or rabbit, ,thyme, these are the foods of the bayou and
these are what gives this dish the difference from a Paella or a Pilaf. I tend to be very restrictive
with many of my traditional based recipes, but I can't seem to find everything the same in a
Jambalaya...just that foundation. It's a great party entree or a one pot meal.
Pass the Tabasco and have another serving....i'm listening to the Thompson Twins, the early
Madonna and thinking of going to the Limelight...
Posted by peter battaglia at 8/17/2011 10:29 PM 
Categories: PORK, SHRIMP, JAMBALAYA, RICE, ANDOUILLE, SEAFOOD, CAJUN
Tags: jambalaya andouille cajun rice LOUISIANA CUISINE SHRIMP
Categories: PORK, SHRIMP, JAMBALAYA, RICE, ANDOUILLE, SEAFOOD, CAJUN
Tags: jambalaya andouille cajun rice LOUISIANA CUISINE SHRIMP
Peter, Looks and Sounds delicious! Know well the impromptu moments for dinner!
So, agree, it MUST have the Trinity to be Cajun or Creole! Certain basics and then your mind goes into creation mode and voila dinner!
Thanks for sharing! Paula
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Paula, thanks so much for reading the blogposts...and commenting! glad you liked it..
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Loved the post! Thanks for the enlightenment about Cajun vs. Creole. Isn't it the coolest what we learn from our FB friends and the Net? What the heck did we do before all of that? Your post jogged my memory of the 80's food scene here in Los Angeles; it was just as you described in New York. We all made more money than we knew what to do with, or so it seemed. It was game on for the high life, and the place to go was a Cajun restaurant (whose name escapes me), the first and only fine dining restaurant of its kind in the City of Angels. "Foodie-ism" and the open kitchen concept were both nascent and for all of us, Cajun and Creole food were terra incognita. We ordered andouille sausage and gumbo file by mail. Paul Prudhomme had been admitted to the pantheon of Chef Gods, and we all feasted on Jambalaya and wrapped up our dinners with Sweet Potato Pie and Chocolate Pecan Pie. Wasn't that a time?
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thanks Adri!! i love your input on here and support!!
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