Blogging from A to Z: J is for Jambalaya

As I’m sure you’ve noticed in the run-up to Bayou Fire‘s May 1 release, I’m talking a lot about Louisiana culture.  One of the top ways we preserve culture is through food and music, which brings me to today’s post.

One of my favorite Cajun or Creole dishes (remember, the difference is that Creole food uses tomatoes) is jambalaya.  This is a rice dish that is both tasty and filling.  Here is a smoked sausage jambalaya recipe from Marcelle Bienvenu’s Cajun Cooking for Beginners.

Photo by jeffreyw under Creative Commons License 2.0, via wikimedia

What you’ll need:

 

• 2 pounds of smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 cup of chopped onion
• 1/2 cup of chopped bellpepper
• 1/2 cup of chopped celery
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
• 2 cups of uncooked long-grain rice
• 4 cups of water or beef broth
• Salt and cayenne, to taste
• 1/4 cup of chopped green onion
• 1/4 cup of chopped parsley

What you’ll do:

1. In a large Dutch oven, sauté the sausage, onion, bellpepper and celery in the vegetable oil over medium heat for about five minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
2. Add the rice and water.  Season with salt and cayenne.
3. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for about 30 minutes, or until rice is tender.
4. Add the green onion and parsley.  Stir to mix.
5. Serve immediately.

Serves six to eight people.

If you prefer a tomato-based dish, I can recommend an excellent shortcut:  Blue Runner Jambalaya Base.  You dump it in a pan, add rice and meat, and let it simmer for 30 minutes.  Seriously, it is the best commercially available base you’ll find, and it tastes like home-made.

Of course, it wouldn’t be dinner without some music, so here’s Hunter Hayes, when he was only four years old, rocking the Cajun button accordion and singing “Jambalaya” with Hank Williams, Jr.