Tonight’s cook starts with an errand to the store. I hadn’t thought about it before but considering that last time I brought out and arranged the ingredients (terribly, I might add) and this time I ran to the store to pick up the missing ones, I’m her errand boy, her apostle, if you will. I’m ok with that, since I am the co-benefactor of the fruits of her labor.
I accidentally-on-purpose went without lunch in anticipation of her making jambalaya. This is a bad thing because I am the epitome of why one should not go to the store hungry. I was tasked with only two ingredients, but I somehow took her request as an open invitation to come back with a canvas sack filled with nonsense. A call for a can of diced tomatoes and chicken stock turned into a junk food shopping spree with ice cream sandwiches and Drano. Oops…
The Jambalaya...
The meal starts with the “Southern Trinity,” which consists of bell pepper, celery, and onion. It wasn’t until we actually lived in the south that I was made aware that many of the Bible Belt’s most famous dishes start with this holy combo. It blows my mind because all three of those ingredients, for me, have a difficult time standing out on their own without globs of ranch or sour cream. But, combined in a cast iron pot, anointed with oil, put over fire, and with the laying of my wife’s hands, they evoke a religious experience.
- This just happens...
- the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, & The Onion
She chops the trinity; she has to dice them separately before they can be made whole again in the sweet glory of jambalaya. She simmers them in oil and garlic; the trinity’s spirit becomes manifest. Then, she dumps a mixture of red and brown spices on top of the bubbling bits. This is the Lazarus effect. The steam gets thick and I know it’s right because my nostrils start to burn. It tastes like burning in my throat, but a good burning, a fire I want to fuel. The smell is contagious and a white flame ignites inside me, making me want to convulse and wave my hands in the air, like a member of the congregation at a holy rollers’ convention.
- “Lazarus, come out!”
The aromas’ effects are compounded by the addition of kielbasa.
- Hehe. Kielbasa. <--Click it.
I have to leave the kitchen to avoid an outburst like the ones shown in the video below:
The house warms and fills with flavor as she adds the chicken stock. The smell pulls me back into the kitchen. I get on my knees and plead for her to confess the secret to her jingle jangle. She says, “I stir it together.” Preach it sister! The Lord does work in mysterious ways. I withhold my blasphemes and back out of the kitchen with my head bowed. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord...
- It just got stirred.
After everything has been added to the pot, we sit and meditate in the living room, a 45 min. reflection. I am lost until the time comes. The power of the sound of the oven timer compels me to rise, then dash and grab two bowls. As she lifts the lid, a divine light and heavenly bouquet are released, causing me to stumble backward, pause, close my eyes, and let it wash over me. We dig in and each spoonful warms our souls. Mmhmmm... I know that the recipe we use is not a traditional Jambalaya, but it’d beat the Devil’s in a cookin’ contest.
Amen.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
8 oz. kielbasa, Andouille sausage, or other spicy smoked sausage, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 can diced tomatoes (no salt added), not drained
1 large red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced
2 ribs of celery, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup dried orzo
½-1 lbs medium to large shrimp, peeled and de-veined, preferably tails off
Directions:
In a heavy bottomed pot with a lid, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook 1 min. or until fragrant. Add the sliced sausage and cook, stirring, for 5 min. Add the paprika, cumin, cayenne, black pepper, and salt. Sauté the spices for 1 min, and then add the tomatoes. Cook stirring for a few min. to let some of the liquid from the tomatoes evaporate. Add the bell pepper, celery, onion, and carrots; cook, stirring for 5 min.
Add the stock, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for 40 min. Remove the lid and stir in the orzo and cook, covered, for 5 min. Stir in shrimp, and cook, covered, for an additional 5 min. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if needed. Enjoy!
* Very heavily adapted from About.com
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