Delicacies

Satisfy your Cajun cravin?via jambalaya

By Mike Peters (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-02-26 07:40

Jambalaya is a rice-based dish that is quick and easy to prepare. Provided to China Daily

With Mardi Gras and the Academy Awards on the horizon, this weekend offers two festive reasons to put together a quick dinner party.

Jambalaya is a New Orleans classic that's easy to prepare ahead in a slow cooker, or whip up in a half-hour on the stovetop. Plus, jambalaya has its own song - download a version by Hank Williams or the Zydeco Dots and Laissez les bons temps rouler! ("Lay say lay bohn tohn roo lay" - Let the good times roll!)

To complete the menu, we asked two Beijing chefs with New Orleans roots, Max Levy of Apothecary and Brandon Trowbridge of NOLA, for easy recipes with plenty of Mardi Gras spirit.

Two matters of personal taste: Jambalaya is a rice-based dish, but civilized folk can disagree on how much rice makes the right balance. (Cajuns and Chinese should be pleased with either recipe below.)

Tradition calls for andouille sausage - a coarse and spicy smoked meat made with pork, pepper, onions, wine and seasonings. French immigrants brought andouille to the United States, where the sausage is most often associated with Cajun cooking.

You can find it at some Western markets in Chinese cities, or follow chef Levy's lead and substitute spicy Chinese bacon.

Recipe | SLOW-COOKED JAMBALAYA

Ingredients (serves 12):

450 g skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves, cut into 1 inch cubes

450 g andouille sausage, sliced

1 can diced tomatoes with juice

1 large onion, chopped

1 large red or yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chicken broth

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried parsley

2 tsp Cajun seasoning

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

450 g frozen cooked shrimp without tails

6 cups cooked rice, chilled

Method:

In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage, tomatoes with juice, onion, bell pepper, celery and broth. Season with oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper and thyme.

Cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on low, or 3 to 4 hours on high. Stir in the shrimp and cooked rice during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

Recipe
| Black-eyed pea soup

Ingredients:

350g/2cups dried black-eyed peas

200g/1 large onion chopped

2 cloves garlic finely minced

2 stalks (200g) celery finely chopped

2-4 (200g) medium carrots finely chopped (depending on carrots' sweetness, 2 if the carrots are particularly sweet)

500 g lean smoked tasso ham, lean, finely diced (1/4inch cubes) (spicy Chinese bacon works as well)

4 liters chicken stock

2 tbsp of olive oil

1.5 tsp cayenne pepper

1.5 tsp kombu salt

1 tbsp white pepper

Garnish-Blanched kale or spinach

Tabasco sauce

Flat leaf Parsley (minced)

Method:

Soak the beans overnight in cold water, drain and rinse the next day for use, and set them aside until ready.

In a large stockpot, over medium heat, sweat the onion, celery, garlic, and ham (in that order) for 5-8 minutes in the olive oil.

Add in the peas and continue to cook with the other ingredients for 3-4 more minutes.

Add in the chicken stock, reduce the heat to low and simmer - skimming the scum continuously - for 2-3 hours until the peas are just tender but not mushy.

Add the carrots and continue to cook for another 20 minutes.

Add in salt, pepper and cayenne, and stir to combine and season more aggressively if necessary, according to taste.

When serving, add in 50 g of blanched kale, and garnish with 2 drops of Tabasco and pinch of minced parsley.

Recipe | SHRIMP AND EGGPLANT BEIGNETS

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized eggplant, diced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Creole seasoning

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

250 g shrimp, peeled,

de-veined and chopped

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

2 tsp baking powder

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

Oil for frying

Method:

Begin by heating 2 tsp vegetable oil in a pan and adding the diced eggplant, 1/2 tsp salt and Creole seasoning. Saut for 2 minutes, then add the onion and bell pepper. Saut for 2 minutes, then add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp appear pink.

In a separate bowl, combine the four eggs, milk and baking powder. Whisk the egg-and-milk mixture into the flour. When smooth, add the cooked eggplant mixture.

Fry by the spoonful until golden brown and delicious. Serve dusted with a little powdered sugar, green onions and condiments of choice - remoulade, tartar sauce or cocktail sauce.

China Daily

(China Daily 02/26/2011 page12)