Celebrate Mardi Gras with a traditional dish – AgriNews

Next Tuesday, March 1, is a carnival. It requires a holiday, and in this new Orleans everyone is invited.

“Mardi Gras” in French means “Fat Tuesday”, the last day to indulge in Ash Wednesday, which begins abstinence and Lent. Celebrate this latest cheers as a NOLA native with this frugal and fabulous jumble.

Jambalaya – pronounced “jum-buh-li-e-e” – is a perfect example of Louisiana’s rich and reliable Creole style.

This recipe is a Creole dish, referring to the original French settlers who arrived in Louisiana. Creole cuisine has its roots in Spanish, French and African cuisines.

This traditional stew combines rice with vegetables, meat, poultry and shellfish, usually shrimp or crayfish. If you’re looking for a bright party dish to serve friends, look no further.

Like many traditional dishes, recipes vary from chef to chef. However, most start with the “holy trinity” of Creole cuisine: 50% onion, 25% celery and 25% green or red bell pepper, although the proportions can be changed to your liking.

Also necessary in jambalai is andouille – pronounced “an-DOO-ee” – a sausage that has a spicy hue, giving the dish a characteristic smoky depth of taste.

Several national sausage brands offer andu, so finding it will not be difficult. If you can’t find a sausage or prefer a soft sausage, replace it with a sausage or other smoked sausage.

This is where I break away from tradition. Usually rice is cooked in stew. I cook rice separately because this recipe makes a good amount and usually has leftovers.

When rice is kept in stew, it absorbs all this delicious liquid and becomes a slurry. It’s still delicious, but not so appealing.

I also use a mixture of frozen peppers and onions because it’s convenient and costs less.

Serve with cold beer and cornbread for the quintessential combination.

As they say in New Orleans, “Laissez les bons temps rouler.” Or, let the good times come.

Jambalaya

Portions: 6

Ingredients

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 (13.5 ounces) Andean sausage sliced

1 pound chicken, pork or combined – cut into 1 inch cubes

Salt and pepper – to taste

1 bag (16 ounces) mixture of frozen peppers and onions – or fresh equivalent

2 green onions, chopped, separated white and green

3/4 cup (2 ribs) celery, chopped

1 jar (14.5 ounces) of finely chopped tomatoes

1 jar (8 ounces) of tomato sauce

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon Cajun or Old Bay seasoning

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 (14.5 ounce jars) chicken broth (1 1/2 cups)

1/2 tablespoon Louisiana pepper sauce (optional)

1/2 pound raw raw shrimp peeled

1 1/2 cups white white rice

The procedure

Thaw a mixture of peppers and shrimp when frozen. Melt the butter in a saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until the fat is done. Add the diced meat and fry for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Add peppers and onions with any liquid, celery and white part of green onions. Cook the vegetables for about five minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, bay leaf, Old Bay and thyme. Cook and stir for about five minutes.

Add chicken broth plus 1 cup water and pepper sauce if using and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the rice.

Just before serving, add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink, about three minutes. Do not digest. Serve with rice. Garnish with green onions.