Back in 2001, Ms Cocktail and I went to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. It really was the experience of a lifetime. Aside from the flat out foot stomped on the accelerator type action that seems to happen everywhere in the French Quarter, there are little moments of quiet solitude that can be stolen if one looks hard enough. One of the things that we took away from this trip was a love for the Cajun and Creole food traditions of this great city. One of the most famous eateries there is K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen, the restaurant started by Chef Paul Prudhomme.
One of the things about Ms Cocktail is that she doesn't eat beef or pork. So sometimes if I'm cooking for just the two of us, I've got to modify recipes to account for her tastes. Here are two recipes based on ones found in Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen that I've modified for this very reason. Turkey ham and olive oil is substituted for the Tasso in the Jambalaya along with some other minor changes. As they say in New Orleans, laissez les bon temps roulez!
Chicken Jambalaya
At one time Cajun and Creole cooking were two very distinct styles however that distinction has blurred over the years. One thing that is a constant between the two is the use of the Trinity, that is onions, green peppers and celery. These three ingredients appear in almost every Cajun or Creole dish and it's by varying the amounts of each that the flavor of the dish is fine tuned.
I learned early on in the kitchen that proper prep work makes the cooking easy. Everything needs to be cut, chopped, pureed, or otherwise prepared before you turn on the oven, stove or grill. With that thought in mind, I tend to combine everything that is going into a pot at the same time into one dish before I ever throw things into a pot. My recipes are broken out that way to help make things go easier.
In a perfect world a whole chicken would be used with the meat cut off the bone and the bones used to make the stock for this recipe. Since most of us don't have the 4-8 hours it takes to make a stock from scratch, the use of canned broth or bouilllion is perfectly acceptable.
Dish 1
3/4 cup chopped onions
3/4 cup chopped green peppers
3/4 cup chopped celery
Dish 2
2 whole bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
Dish 3
1/2 lb chopped turkey ham
Dish 4
3/4 cup chopped onions
3/4 cup chopped green peppers
3/4 cup chopped celery
Dish 5
1 lb chicken breast, cubed
1 lb chicken thighs, cubed
Others
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
3/4 cup tomato sauce
2 cups uncooked rice
3 cups chicken stock
Melt the margarine in a 4 quart or larger sauce pan. Add the extra virgin olive oil. Add Dish 1, then stir in Dish 2, the Tabasco and Dish 3. Cook on high heat until the onions are dark brown, about 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Things will stick and burn to the bottom of the pan, that's ok. Turn the heat down to medium, add Dish 4 and cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the tomato sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes stirring constantly. Return the heat to high and add Dish 5. Cook for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in the rice, mixing well. Add the stock, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered over very low heat until the rice is tender but still firm, about 30 minutes. Makes four main dish or eight appetizer servings.
Creole Sauce
This sauce can be used on many different things such as chicken or shrimp, eggs or oysters. It is also great served over Jamabalayas.
Dish 1
3/4 cup onions
3/4 cup green peppers
3/4 cup celery
1 cup crushed tomatos
Dish 2
2 cloves minced fresh garlic
2 whole bay leaves
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
Dish 3
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Tabasco
Others
1/2 stick unsalted butter
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add Dish 1 then stir in Dish 2, mixing thoroughly. Sauté until onions are transparent, about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in Dish 3 and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
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