Birthday, N'Awlins Style

Last week, Orrick's father celebrated his 80th birthday. On Saturday, the entire family met for a birthday feast. Orrick Senior hails originally from Louisiana and his birthday fare reflected that: Orrick's sister Susan carted over the red beans and rice; Orrick and I carried in the jambalaya; and his brother Scott brought forth a couple of dogs. Two out of three ain't bad.

Now, although I also "hail" from the south, I have to say that I'd only tried jambalaya once (in a Monteagle Mountain restaurant) and at the time I didn't like it; so what inspired me to offer to make a pot of it for this occasion is quite beyond me. However, as I was tossing various sausages and chicken parts in one pot and sauteeing a Trinity of onion, pepper, and celery in another pot with shrimp and spices, I was struck with a wonderful aroma and a great hunger. When the dish was served the following day, it was a hit. Even I liked it.

Lately, when I've finished serving a successful original dish, I've e-mailed the "recipe" to my mother. I've heard rumors that she's forwarded these recipes once or twice, but I've yet to hear that she's actually tried one herself. So this time, instead of sending my recipe off to die in her inbox, I've decided to post it here. May you try it and enjoy.

The first thing you need to know is that I don't measure anything; I do everything "to taste." I'll try to supply a few approximations, but if you need accurate measurements, then stop reading right now.

What you'll need:
2 chicken breasts
1 ring of kielbasa
2 or 3 Hot Italian sausages (casing removed)
1 pound fresh (skinned, deveined) shrimp
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 TBSP Flour
1 can tomatoes
2 tsp. Worcestershire
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 green pepper
2 celery stalks
1 c. rice/2 c. water
8 drops Tabasco/Hot Sauce (or to taste)
Spices to taste: oregano, basil, chili powder

If you're familiar with jambalaya, you may notice that I substituted Polish and Italian sausages for the more traditional andouille. It's what I had on hand, and was preferred.

How I Did It (Your Experience May Vary):
In one pot, cook the chicken and sausages (cut to bite-size pieces) in the oil on high heat. Saute the onion, garlic, pepper, and celery in a second pot with more oil and a bit of flour for thickening. (Because I'm not experienced with cooking shrimp, I opted to add them to this pan, on the lower heat). When the meats are thoroughly cooked and the veggies soft, spice both pots with oregano, basil, and lots of chili powder. Then mingle the pots, adding about 8 drops of Louisiana Hot Sauce, a can of tomato, and the Worcestershire. Let simmer on low for about 45 minutes.

Traditionally, one would add the rice and water before simmering, to let the rice take on the flavor of the stew and mingle into the dish. However, as I was cooking a day earlier than the dish would be eaten, I opted to make the rice later so that it would not become soggy overnight. To mingle the flavors on Saturday, then, I reheated the stew and replaced a portion of the plain water needed for cooking the rice with an equal portion of broth from the stew (the portion would depend on how much rice you're making, say about a third of the overall liquid). The result was a sticky, flavorful rice, perfect for ladling the stew over.

Because I was cooking for a crowd of unknown palates, I kept the spice to a minimum, but the Italian sausage and Hot Sauce provided nice heat. More sauce, pepper, or chili powder could, of course, be added to taste.

And there you have it: my jambalaya recipe. I hope you enjoy it. Or, at least, that you'll think about it on your next trip to Taco Bell.

; )