Jam-On-It Jambalaya

posted April 9, 2008
  by Josh Gunn, Bachelor Chow

When I was ten years old I had three passions: drawing, Boy Scouts, and roller skating. I've since traded in drawing for writing, the Boy Scouts for the Freemasons, and roller skating for . . . well, roller skating. Who wants to give that pastime up? Not me. Nor will I give up the roller skating rink play-lists of my youth: "Gloria" by Laura Branigan, Sweet's "Little Willie," "Rock and Roll Part 2" by Gary Glitter, Journey's "Open Arms" (slow-skate, y'all know?), and "Jam on It" by Newcleus.

Oh, some of y'all will remember Newcleus, the second wave of what was known then as "rap," with reference to the sped-up chipmunk-sounding vocals: "Well, Superman came to town to see who he could rock/he blew away everyone he faced until he reached my block . . . ." To my infinite joy, Newcleus has recently released the definitive collection of its 80s catalog, which I now play every time I make my most delicious jambalaya recipe. Why do I do this? Because the word "jam" can also double as a syllable, of course. Or, as my father once put it: "because I say so."

As a kid I probably would have never liked jambalaya, but after living in Louisiana for three years as an adult, I swear I could eat this stuff for every meal if it didn't contribute to all things chubby. Even if you eat it while roller skating very fast, it still takes a high metabolism and lots of exercise to work off the bad carbs in this delicious dish. So, I don't make this recipe often and usually only when I'm asked to feed lots of mouths.

Jambalaya is my favorite pot-luck dish for this reason, and usually (if I don't use alligator meat) a real crowd pleaser. Cook it up in a large Dutch oven and then take it on to the party with a big spoon. Bachelors will appreciate its pot-luck quality---unlike gumbos it is easy to make, just a bit time-intensive. It is filling, which is good if the party you're bringing it to will have lots of boozers. Bachelors will also appreciate how well this keeps in the fridge (at least a week) for repeat meals. Because it is rice-based, jambalaya does not freeze as well as, say, gumbo, but you're welcome to try it.

Jambalaya is, apparently, the Cajun version of Spanish paella, a rice-based dish suffused with saffron. T'ain't no saffron in the Louisiana version, although like paella jambalaya comes in many varieties: seafood, chicken, sausage, and so on are used in various combinations. The basic jambalaya recipes often emphasize tomato as a basic flavor, but because I am not keen on tomatoes, my recipe features tomato paste (which makes the whole dish less tomato-ish). Some Cajun food elites will sometimes dismiss my style as "White Jambalaya," meaning it ain't the long hard way of making it, but . . . it's still good! Trust me!


Dr. Bachelor's Jam-On-It Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/


Serves/Makes: 8
Ready in: 2-5 hrs

* 1 frying chicken (smallish)
* 4 cloves garlic, halved (or to taste)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced (or to taste)
* 1 onion quartered
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 3 celery stalks, with as many leaves as possible
* 2 cups dry long-grain rice
* 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into slices (andouille or alligator)
* 1 pound ham, cubed
* 1/2 stick butter
* 1 medium/small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
* 1/2 cup (or so) fresh curly parsley
* 1 can tomato paste
* 3 bay leaves (can add more if desired)
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme or tablespoon of fresh thyme
* 1 dash Cajun/Creole seasoning (like Tony's or Slap Ya Mama)
* 1 dash (or more!) hot sauce (Tabasco for hotter, Louisiana hot sauce for milder)

First, cover your chicken in a stock pot with water (remove innards and neck, please). Add celery stalks, roughly chopped, and leaves, the quartered onion, and as many cloves of roughly chopped garlic as you can stand. Boil for about 45 minutes to an hour until chicken is cooked.

Remove chicken and set aside to cool; strain the broth and reserve five cups of it.

Now, cook your rice in the broth by bringing to boil in a heavy pot, then setting to simmer (about 25 minutes).

While rice is cooking, brown all your meats in the Dutch oven. I like to use a combination of andouille and alligator sausage, but some folks will get sick if you tell them they're eating alligator (so don't, or just use andouille). If you cannot find andouille where you live, just about any smoked sausage will do. Remove the browned meats and set aside. Remove all the chicken you can from the cooked bird, reserve the wishbone for later, and cut any big pieces into bite-sized chunks.

Now, add the butter to your Dutch oven and scrape up into the butter any of the brown bits left by the meat. Once the butter is melted, add your chopped onion, pepper, and parsley and sauté until soft. Then add the rest of the meats and minced garlic, tomato paste, and the rest of the ingredients and stir to disperse the paste.

Once your rice is cooked, you then add this in and cook on "low" for 20 to 40 minutes, depending on how long you have until dinner. Periodically stir from the bottom.

This yummy goodness also keeps in a slow-cooker set on low for potlucks.

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