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by Manos Angelakis
New Orleans Cuisine has been known for generations as Creole cooking. The word “Creole” was used after the Louisiana Purchase to differentiate the inhabitants of French and/or Spanish descent, that considered themselves of a higher cultural status, from the “barbarian Americans” flooding the city. For their part, the puritanical Americans thought of the Creoles as a degenerate lot and were happy to stay apart in their own part of the town, segregated from the Creoles by a canal - which gave Canal Street its name. Each segment of the populous lived its own life, pretending the others did not exist.
But, the newcomers became enamored of Creole cooking, a blend of French, Spanish and African influences, and many of the hearty, one-pot Creole dishes are now considered signature New Orleans fare, no matter what the cook’s heritage.
Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya is one of these hearty dishes, and following is a recipe that should serve 6 - 8 as a main course. The origins of the dish is the Spanish Paella.
3 lb. Chicken, skinned, boned and cut into cubes (reserve bones and skin for stock)
1 large onion, roughly chopped
3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
3 tbsp. butter
2 medium green bell peppers, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. black pepper (Malabar Black is preferred)
1 cup uncooked, short grain rice
14 oz. canned tomatoes
6 oz. andouille sausage, cut in 1/2 inch dice
3 cups chicken stock
Salt to taste
Chopped parsley to garnish.
Method:
Use the chicken bones and skin and the trimmings from the celery and onions to make stock. Cover the ingredients with water and simmer slowly for 1 hour. Strain and reserve the stock.
Melt the butter in a heavy, large saucepan and add the onion. Cook slowly until the onion turns transparent, then add the celery, bell peppers and garlic and cook briefly. Add the three kinds of pepper and the rice, stirring to mix well. Keep stirring until the rice starts becoming transparent. Add the chicken, tomatoes and sausage and continue stirring. Season and add the stock. Bring the stock to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 20 or 25 minutes until the chicken is done and the rice is tender. The rice should have absorbed most of the liquid by the time it becomes tender. If needed, add a little more stock. Keep in mind that there should be more liquid than desired when you turn off the heat. The rice will absorb all the liquid while it is cooling.
Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.
Crawfish Etouffée is a Cajun specialty; a thick peppery stew that is usually served over white rice. This recipe serves 4.
1/3 cup butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb. crawfish
6 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 cup fish stock
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
2 tsp. chopped dill
Tabasco Sauce to taste
Salt and black pepper
Method:
Melt half the butter in a sauce pan, add the onion and cook until transparent. Add crawfish and cook quickly, shaking the pot until the crawfish start to curl. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Add the balance of the butter and the flour to the pan and cook slowly stirring frequently until golden brown. Pour the fish stock and stir vigorously to blend. Add tomato paste, stir and bring to boil. Add the parsley, dill, Tabasco, salt and plenty of black pepper, stir and return the onion and crawfish to the sauce. Heat through for 3 or 4 minutes and serve over hot white rice.
© April 2007 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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