Jambalaya how to?

[pepperhead212]

On a related note. Your recipe for stovetop rice is way off in its proportions of water and rice. I recommend you try adding one cup of rice to 1½ cups of boiling liquid (water or broth). Tests have shown that each cup of rice absorbs one cup of liquid. Adding a half cup extra provides for evaporation.

The 1:1 is the proportion recommended for rice, even brown, by the Instant Pot, since it is totally sealed, and loses very little water, compared to cooking on the stovetop. Usually much more water is suggested for brown, since it cooks longer, thus loses more water.

I did something today that made me think of this thread - I cooked some barley in advance, to add to a dish tomorrow, which is not jambalaya, but similar, and it reminded of when I had made jambalaya with barley, and another time with oat groats. I did this for some friends who were diabetic, and these are better grains than rice for them, esp. white rice. The oats looked like a shorter rice, the barley not at all like rice, but everyone loved them, when I made them.

 

[Kathleen]

We use Paul Prudhomme's recipe from his first cookbook. My.DH also likes to add Chef Paul's Very Hot Cajun sauce to his, but I can't take that heat.

You are brilliant! I likely got the baked rice recipe from that cookbook!

Loved his recipes, in the 80's

The first I made was his Blackened Redfish.
Usually made it for guests and everyone was amazed with the method. First timers couldn't believe that that smoky, seemingly burned fish was so delicious.
Good times, serving that.

Ross

His book really yielded a lot of good recipes.

I decided to do a search for his baked rice and found this! I love the Net! I use the loaf pan method if baking it only.

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/paul-prudhomme-basic-cooked-rice-52620691

 

[Kathleen]

Wow, never thought of 'completely' doing the rice in the oven. I use the micro wave and the stove top equally.

It's always turned out really well for me. Plus, it "waits" nicely which is great if you are unsure when all will come together for a dinner.

 

[Bama-Rick]

Thanks for the help

Thanks, everyone. I think I'll bake it next time and maybe use parboiled rice.

 

[Uncle Bob]

This the method my friend Pochijp from Gonzales Louisiana and many other people from the area use. Notice there are NO tomato products. This is 'brown' jambalaya...sometimes refereed to as Cajun jambalaya as opposed to Red Creole jambalaya found primarily in the New Orleans area.


Ok. First off I start with pork temple meat if available. If not I use Boston butt pork meat cut into cubes. I try to keep a small piece of fat on each piece as it adds great taste and is tender. Season the meat. I use about 3.5 lb.. pork for this. Chicken can be used but will not brown as well as pork. I use LeBlanc's but Tony's or whatever mix you have is fine. Salt and pepper and garlic is fine if that all you have.


I brown the pork meat down really well in approx 1/2 cup of veg oil. I let the meat fry until it starts to stick, then stir. I do that over and over again, it sticks then stir, repeat. Sometimes a little water is needed to cool off the grease. The meat debris that sticks to the bottom of the pot (the gratin) will dictate your color of the rice/jamb. Season the meat each turn as you brown it.

After the pork is browned down to dark fry I remove completely from the pot.

I then brown down my sausage. Don't overcook the sausage and fry it too much. Just mildly brown it down, because to me that cooks all of the taste out of the sausage. I used LeBlanc's smoked sausage for this one. Its really good and locally made. I use 1 lb. for this size pot.

After I cook the sausage a little I remove from the pot. Drain the grease out of the pot at this time but don't lose the gratin. Then I add my onions, green onions, garlic with a splash of stock and cook till clear looking. This is when you scrape the bottom of the pot getting all the brown gratin from the pork. You will have to add small splashes of stock as you cook to not burn the veg mix. This is when the color that the jambalaya starts to reveal it darkness. The browner the meat was cooked the darker the gratin will be making this mixture dark as well. I used three regular sized yellow onions diced into 1/4" size. One hand full of green onions diced too.


After those are cooked (clear looking) add all the meat back into the pot and mix well. Cook/boil all the remaining water/moisture out of the meat/trinity mixture at this time so the water measurements will be accurate.


At this time I add my broth/water. For this size Jamb I go with the standard 2 to 1 ratio of water to rice. So 3 cups of rice needs 6 cups broth/water. I usually use broth instead of plain water. If you use plain water bouillon cubes at the least need to be used. One cube per cup of water.

After it comes to a rolling boil I start tasting the water. I like it a tad bit salty cause the rice will absorb the saltiness. I use black pepper, garlic pepper, and LeBlanc' s seasoning. Made here locally by Kim LeBlanc. Add one shot glasse of Louisiana Hot sauce.

Skim the remaining grease off the top. The boiling water will seperate it from the water/broth.

After I get the taste like I want and its on a hard rolling boil i'll add the rice. Never add rice until the water is boiling! I let it come back to a boil until the rice starts to expand and is "jumping out the pot". This is an expression we use due to the hard boiling liquid and the rice entrained in the liquid sometimes comes over the side. This is a very important time relevant to the "popping" of the rice. I let the rice get noticeably bigger/expanded before I cut heat and cover. You can tell is getting ready when the rice is thickening by stirring your spoon in the mixture. As it thickens it will get noticeably harder to stir. This can be achieved on a HARD boil and it is critical to the rice popping correctly.

After the rice has started to expand and is where I think its ready to cover I cut back on my heat to 20% and cover. Do not lift the lid for any reason for 25 min. If your lid does not seal really tight wrap a rag or towel around the lid seal. Be careful of the burner below if this is done. This will seal a pot off really well.

Cast iron pots hold heat really well.

I let this cook for about 25 minutes for this size and then lift the lid and roll the rice. Don't stir. Roll it from bottom to top at 4 different spots. Re-cover and cut heat off.

Let sit for another 15 minutes and then un-cover and eat. Rice popped open perfect. Hard to beat the Mahatma extra long grain.



Have Fun & Enjoy!

 

[dragnlaw]

Uncle Bob, are you referring to the "fond" at the bottom of the pot? That part of the meat that gets all crusty and brown? Scraped up, being added back to the goods when more wet ingredients are added is sooo much flavour.
When you say "gratin" I think of when someone browns the top of a dish, either with cheese, bread crumbs or some such thing. My favourite gratin is anything with cheese!

 

[Uncle Bob]

Uncle Bob, are you referring to the "fond" at the bottom of the pot? That part of the meat that gets all crusty and brown? Scraped up, being added back to the goods when more wet ingredients are added is sooo much flavour.

Yes "fond" Some say gratin. Not to be confused with au gratin. Nor grattons ..pork cracklings. By whatever name it is de glazed from the pot for color and flavor.

 

[dragnlaw]

aha! Thank you! I will remember to say 'au gratin' from now on.

 

[Uncle Bob]

aha! Thank you! I will remember to say 'au gratin' from now on.

Gratin is a dish topped with bread crumbs, cheese, etc, dotted with butter, and browned in the oven or a salamander. Au gratin is a dish prepared in this manner. Crab Au gratin is a favorite! ~~ In parts of Louisiana the word gratin is used in place of fond. It's a local expression.

 

[dragnlaw]

I guess I got used to dropping the 'au' as we also have dishes called 'gratin dish'.

I hear yuh! Good to know the local lingo!

 

[Uncle Bob]

I guess I got used to dropping the 'au' as we also have dishes called 'gratin dish'.

I hear yuh! Good to know the local lingo!

Yep! I don't have any, but kinda shallow and oval. Lots of room on top for the browning of "stuff"

 

[pepperhead212]

I have 4 gratin dishes, 2 Copco enameled CI, and 2 copper pans, that I would use when making a dinner for someone special. Easy to make something in advance, refrigerate it in the pan, and bake it, when needed, often topped with cheese. Can't remember the last time I used one!

 

[dragnlaw]

I only have 3, all of which I made only as teaching pieces for my students. You can guess which one is my favorite.[emoji200]

oops, sorry sideways again

 

[taxlady]

Nice to see you here Uncle Bob. That jambalaya recipe sounds great. I'm going to have to give it a try. If I use brown rice, will the rest of the ingredients hold up to the extra 10-20 minutes that it takes for the rice to be fully cooked?

 

[Uncle Bob]

Nice to see you here Uncle Bob. That jambalaya recipe sounds great. I'm going to have to give it a try. If I use brown rice, will the rest of the ingredients hold up to the extra 10-20 minutes that it takes for the rice to be fully cooked?

Never used brown rice....don't see why it wouldn't work.

 

[taxlady]

Uncle Bob, sorry to be a pest. How big of a pot do you use for that much jambalaya?

 

[Uncle Bob]

Uncle Bob, sorry to be a pest. How big of a pot do you use for that much jambalaya?

I've never cooked this exact recipe. I posted it as a how to/method of cooking a jambalaya. I tend to prefer larger than necessary pots/bowls/pans when I cook. So I would use a 8 qt cast iron. More room to roll the rice at the end. It might fit in a 6 1/2. HTH

 

[taxlady]

Thanks Uncle Bob, yes, that helps.