Jambalaya leaves time for Mardi Gras

Also follow this recipe in a photoessay by Kelley Van Dilla on the Miscellany's photojournalism blog, Exposure.

With the Saints bringing New Orleans its first Super Bowl title and Mardi Gras starting on Tuesday, there is cause for celebration in the Big Easy. Up here, in snowy Poughkeepsie, we owe ourselves a joyous taste of the spicy South. Jambalaya is a classic Louisiana Creole dish, consisting of meat, vegetables, seafood and rice. Similar to paella, but with more spice and no saffron, jambalaya is a really great crowd-pleaser that is simple to prepare. While there are many theories about its etymology, the theory I'm most taken with is that jambalaya stems from the Provencal word jambalaia, meaning "mash-up." I really am not an authority on the subject, but to me, it just makes sense.

I should also mention that, though I am not from New Orleans, the city has played a large part in my life. My mother was raised there, and every December from the time I was born until I graduated from high school included a week-long trip to New Orleans to visit my extended family. Indulging in the cuisine of the city—rich Creole and Cajun dishes like gumbo and etouffee, simple lunches of po'boys and red beans and rice—was nothing short of formative for me. I distinctly remember the first time I bit into a fried oyster and burst through the crisp exterior to find the soft, salty, melt-in-your-mouth core. Life would never be the same.

But back to this week's dish. Perhaps the most appealing quality of jambalaya is how easy it is to make. It's a one-dish meal, meaning that you will only have to wash one pot when it's all done. For those of us without dishwashers, you cannot underestimate the power of cooking without much cleanup. Chop a few vegetables, slice some sausage, clean some shrimp, toss it all into a pot, and you've basically done all you need to do. In comparison to some dishes that have appeared in previous weeks—braised short ribs, risotto, roast chicken, falafel—this jambalaya is fool-proof. It's about as difficult as tying your shoes.

Though the budget did not really allow for it this time, jambalaya is great paired with biscuits, corn bread, a crusty baguette or a simple green salad. It is also a great stand-alone dish, as my housemates can attest to. I was joined this week in the kitchen by the illustrious Nicole Wood '12, who approached me about doing some sous-chefery. The two of us and Kelley Van Dilla '12, the man responsible for the mouth-watering photography, had a great time making this meal.

As far as shopping this week, I decided to switch it up a bit. My strong allegiance to Adam's aside, I figured it might be nice to detail an option for students without vehicles. With that in mind, I took a trip on the campus shuttle to Stop & Shop. Despite the fact that there aren't as many free samples or grass-fed beef, Stop & Shop did have surprisingly high quality ingredients, and the prices were great as well. The weekend campus shuttle makes hourly stops at the Stop & Shop on Route 9. You can find the full schedule at neighbors.vassar.edu. Moral of the story: If you don't have a car, you can still cook this meal (or any meal, for that matter).

If you haven't cooked any of these recipes, but look longingly at them wishing you possessed the culinary abilities to make them look as good as they do in the photos, this is the week to try it. It's only 40 minutes, start to finish. One pot. Five servings. Super delicious.

Jambalaya

3 T olive oil
2 onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1/2 t. ground cayenne pepper
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
Salt, to taste
3/4 lb. chorizo, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
3/4 lb, andouille sausage (or any other smoked sausage), sliced into 1/4-inch slices
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 t. hot sauce (optional)
2 c. long-grain white rice
3 c. chicken stock
1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined (see note)
2 T thinly sliced green onions

A note on shrimp:
Before cooking with shrimp, you need to be sure they are cleaned properly. At many grocery stores you can find "Easy-Peel" shrimp, meaning that the fishmongers have already removed the "vein" from the back of the shrimp and the shell can easily be peeled away. If you cannot find or choose not to buy these, you will need to clean them yourself. Holding the shrimp in one hand, identify the vein (the dark, thin strip on the back of the shrimp), which is actually the shrimp's digestive tract. With a paring knife, make an incision in the back of the shrimp and remove this vein. Peel away the legs and shell from the shrimp. You can leave the tail on if you like (for appearance), but because it is inedible, there's really no reason.

For this recipe, you can either keep the shrimp whole or cut them into small pieces. For me, because there weren't a whole lot of shrimp, I cut them up so that they would be more of a presence in the dish. You're more than welcome to use more than a half pound of shrimp, but my $20 only goes so far.

To prepare:
Start by heating the olive oil in large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic and sauté until translucent, 4-6 minutes. Add the bell peppers and celery and cook 4 minutes more. Add the dried herbs, cayenne, salt and hot sauce. You can add more or less cayenne or hot sauce, depending on your personal preference.

Next, add the sauce to the pan and brown slightly. If you use smoked sausage, it is already cooked, so you do not need to worry about cooking it through. Add the diced tomatoes (with all the liquid) into the pot. Stir to combine.

Add the rice and the stock, turn the heat to low and simmer for about 25 minutes until the rice is tender and most of the stock is absorbed. The tomato liquid and the 3 c. of stock should be enough to cook the rice, but you may need to add a bit more liquid. 10 minutes before the rice is done, add the shrimp to the pan. Spoon some jumbalaya into a bowl and top with some of the sliced green onions.

Grocery List

Red Pepper, $0.75
Green Pepper, $1.39
Celery, $1.50
Green Onions, $0.69
Onions, $0.95
Chicken Stock, $2.49
Chorizo, $2.50
Andouille, $2.49
Shrimp, $4.70
Rice, $1.34
Diced Tomatoes, $1.20
Total, $20.00