Of all the traditional New Orleans dishes, jambalaya is one of the easiest to cook. It is one pot cooking at its best. It is also a very economical dish to create. All you need is rice, a protein or more (if you want), seasonings and stock or broth. It’s a simple dish to make your own take on it.
Today, I want to share two recipes from some big names in the new Orleans restaurant scene. The first is from the first family of New Orleans, Ralph Brennan’s Creole Jambalaya. The second is from an old school restaurant, Bon Ton’s Jambalaya. So gather your ingredients, and Let’s head to the kitchen!
Ralph Brennan’s Creole Jambalaya
Ralph Brennan owns five New Orleans restaurants. He made his name at the Red Fish Grill. He also stepped in when Brennan’s closed and has reenergized it. Here’s a jambalaya from his cookbook.
1 tablespoon salt
4 ounces andouille sausage, sliced unto 1/4-inch rounds
4 ounces pickled pork or ham, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped, green and white parts separated
1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
2 10-ounce cans crushed plum tomatoes
1/2 cup canned tomato purée
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
4 quarts chicken stock
1 tablespoon Louisiana pepper sauce
2 cups long-grain white rice, uncooked
1 pound raw medium Louisiana shrimp, peeled and deveined
Over medium-high heat, melt butter in a heavy, nonreactive six-quart saucepan or Dutch oven. Add sausage and pickled pork or ham; cook until all fat is rendered out of meats, about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add onions, the white parts of the green onions, and the bell pepper. Cook vegetables until they are clear, about 5 minutes, occasionally stirring and scraping pan bottom clean.
Add crushed tomatoes, tomato purée, garlic, bay leaf, salt, black and cayenne pepper, and thyme. Cook and stir base sauce, about two minutes. (If the dish is being prepared ahead, allow the base sauce to cool, then place in a lidded nonreactive container and store it in the refrigerator for up to two days. For the final preparation, heat the base to a boil and proceed with the remainder of recipe.)
Add chicken stock and pepper sauce to base, bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a strong simmer, simmer liquid uncovered until it is reduced by one third, about one hour15 minutes. Skim any foam that coagulated on surface.
Return liquid to a boil, stir in rice.
Reduce heat to medium, and cook uncovered until the rice is just short of being done ( it should still be a little firm in the center), about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add shrimp and cook until rice is tender and shrimp turn bright pink, about three minutes. Do not overcook.
Stir in green parts of green onion. Serve at once.
Bon Ton’s Jambalaya
The Bon Ton restaurant was the first Cajun restaurant in New Orleans. It was not the highly peppered recipes that you find now in restaurants. The Bon Ton is currently closed as there has been a change in ownership. I hope this makes it back on the menu. It’s a quick jambalaya.
12 tablespoons margarine, preferably Bluebonnet
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 pound Louisiana crawfish tails with fat
1 1/2 cups cooked rice, chilled
3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
Salt and pepper
Melt margarine in a medium skillet; add onion and green onion and sauté until translucent, about six minutes. Stir in crawfish and cook until heated through, three to five minutes. Add rice, parsley, salt and pepper, blending well. Cook until heated through. Allow to sit three to five minutes before serving.
Whether it’s your main course or side dish, jambalaya is an easily prepared menu item. It’s a great dish to spread your wings and experiment with. If you can cook rice, you can cook jambalaya!
