WOMAD

Jambalaya by Sarah Savoy And The Francadians

When teaching a French restaurant to make jambalaya, one of the cooks stated the obvious, which had been escaping me for a while. "It's like paella! Easy!" Actually, that probably explains where this dish came from-Louisiana's Spanish settlers-as well as why Louisiana's most popular Jambalaya Cooking Championship takes place in a little town called Gonzales. The only trick to making this is to really take the time to glaze and deglaze the pot repeatedly. You can cook the meat for an hour this way if you really want the best texture, most flavor, and richest color for your jambalaya. You do, don't you?

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, cut up (legs, thighs, wings, breasts halved)
• 2 Tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
• 1 kilo spicy smoked pork sausage, sliced (or 3/4 kilo sausage and 1/4 kilo tasso or smoked, very lean bacon)
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 cups of rice
• 1 tsp salt
• black pepper
• cayenne pepper
• 1 small bunch of green onions, sliced

Method:
In a heavy pot with a lid, over a medium-high flame, brown the chicken in the oil. When golden, add the sausage (and tasso, if using) and cook anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, regularly pouring a small amount of cold water into the pot and scraping the bottom of the pot well.
Once the meat has cooked down and the drippings have reached a deep brown color, pour off the fat and keep the drippings.
Add the vegetables and cook until soft.
Add the rice. Add water until the rice is approximately two centimeters under the water level. Stir well.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low when the water cooks off enough to expose the top of the rice.
Cover and cook until rice is soft, about 17 minutes.
Top each serving with green onions.

Tasso is a seasoned, smoked piece of beef common in Louisiana. Smoked, chopped bacon can be substituted and works nicely, although you may want to reduce the amount of salt used in this recipe.

« All of Sarah Savoy And The Francadians's Recipes

« View Sarah Savoy And The Francadians's Artist Page