Dinner at the Anchovy's

It seems to me that many cultures have a so-called peasant food that involves rice and whatever is in the fridge, made in one pot. There is paella, pelau, rizotto, fried rice, and my favourite, jambalaya, which I made for dinner today.

history of jambalaya

There are a number of ways to go about making jambalaya. Here's how I learned to do it.

Start with a heavy pot or dutch oven. I add some olive oil, then saute up "the trinity", which is chopped up bell pepper, onions and celery. Tonight, I chopped in a couple fresh cayenne chiles. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, and thyme. Add some sausage. I use andouille if I can get it, or if not, any smoked sausage is great. Add long-grained rice and stir, coating the rice with oil. Add some stock, about 2 1/2 times more broth than rice. If you're using a dutch oven or cast iron pot, you can cover it and cook in the oven or else cook covered on the stovetop. In either case, cook slowly until the rice is close to done. Add a handful of shrimp, and when the shrimp and the rice are done, you're good to go. Alternatively, you can cook covered at a low heat on the stove.

Cajun jambalaya doesn't use tomatoes. Creole jambalaya does. Either way, it's delicious. You can make it as spicy as you like. When I visited Cajun country last year, I was surprised that the food wasn't nearly as spicy as I had expected.



I'd better apologize for this one in advance...


and of course, Andy Kaufman's version


...and finally, CJ Chenier