Jambalaya, farkashert

Kosher jambalaya?   Not impossible, but since pork is pervasive in Cajun food, and in just about all cooking from the  American South, you have to be a little flexible.  I worked out this variation with chicken and some kosher sausages that I like (OK, I am addicted to them). Over the next couple of months I also hope to post some other farkasherte Southern dishes like a pulled barbeque made with chicken thighs.  

This method combines Cajun seasoning with Spanish technique, so that the rice is not mushy and you are left with soccarat, the wonderful crust that you sometimes get at the bottom of a pan of cooked paella.  Most recipes for jambalaya that I have seen use long grain rice and cook it covered in liquid for 45 minutes.  This adapts a paella-method, which cooks the rice stove-top or unconvererd in the oven (or on an open fire), or, as I do here, a bit of both.  I thought the results were quite good.  I hope that you do too, and don't miss the pork. 

Jambalaya

Ingredients

• 1-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 12 ounces spicy sausage, cut into half inch pieces (see below)
• 3 tablespoons spice mix
• 1 chicken cut into 8-12 pieces or 8-12 thighs
• 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 bunch scallions, white and some green, trimmed and sliced
• 4 stalks of celery, trimmed, strined and chopped
• 4 green frying peppers or 2 large green bell peppers, seeded, deribbed and chopped
• 1 jalapeno chili, chopped (optional)
• 8 - 12 cloves sliced garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
• 2 1/2 cups medium grain Spanish rice (I use Montisia, from near Tarragona, since it is the cheapest of the Spanish rices at the local market)
• 15 ounce can chopped our diced tomatoes (I like Muir Glen fire roasted with green chili here)
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth (I used Manishewitz out of a box, you could use homemade)
• salt to taste

Method

1. You will need a dish that you can cook on the stove and that will withstand very high oven temperatures. It shouldn't be too deep, since evaporation is key to this method of cooking rice.  A classic paella pan works well, but is difficult to negotiate on the stove.  I used a large, oval enameled cast iron casserole, about 2 inches deep. The pan should be large and deep enough so that it won't boil over, which may set off your  A large  5-6 quart flameproof casserole would probably work as well, but you run a greater risk of mushy rice.
2. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Remove the racks or adjust them so that they are on the highest shelves, since the pan will rest on the bottom of the oven. (If you have an electric over, put one rack on the lowest shelf.
3. Put a little oil in the cooking dish, and brown the sausage pieces well on all sideson medium-high heat for about 10 minutes.  Watch the fat so that it doesn't smoke, and adjust the flame accordingly. Remove to a bowl when done.
4. Meanwhile, dredge the chicken pieces in the spice mix. If you are calorie counting, take off the skin first, but after making this both ways we agreed that the skin adds more than just grease and it is worth accounting for the extra calories.  (See below)
5. Add as many pieces of chicken as will fit comfortably to the pan, and brown well on all sides. Remove pieces to dish as they brown, and add the remaining pieces.
6. Add all of the vegetables except the chili and garlic to the fat in the pan, and cook on high heat until they begin to caramelize.   
7. Add the chili and garlic and cook for a minute or two.  Add the bay leaf, thyme, and paprika and mix well.
8. Add the rice and mix in until it is well coated with the fat, and then saute another minute or two.
9. Add the tomatoes and cook on high for a few minutes until most of it is absorbed.
10. Add the broth, along with the accumulated chicken juices (euphemism for fat). Stir the sausage into the rice, arrange the chicken pieces on top, bring to a boil, and cook uncovered over high heat for 5 minutes.
11. Transfer the pan to the bottom of the oven, and cook for 25 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.  If you would like, you can move it to a higher shelf at the end broil for a few minutes to crisp the chicken skin.
12. Cover the pan very loosely with foil, and leave in the oven at least 5 minutes.
13. Serves eight.

Sausage:  This and the tasso ham are the challenges, since there are no real kosher equivalents.  I just leave out the tasso.  One could try pastrami, but the flavors of coriander and mustard seed would be outof place.  I use Lower East Side  brand Spicy Beef and Red Pepper Sausage, made of course in Newark.  It is like a spicy frank, but with coarser meat, and I find it quite tasty.  You could substitute any of the spicy kosher sausages, precooked or otherwise, though I would avoid ones with North African flavors.  Neshama makes a kosher andouille which would probably be very nice, though I am hooked on the LES spicy beef. A semi-dry turkey cubano would also work.

To skin or not to skin? This is really acceptable if you skin the chicken, particularly if you use thighs which are more difficult to overcook.  However, leaving the skin on adds a lot.  Many flavors are fat-soluble, and the extra dose of chicken fat carries the spice very nicely.  The skin, especially if crisped at the end is delectable.  And, finally, much of what we mistake for moisture in food is actually salivation, our own physiological reaction to fat.  Every week I have eaten this dish, I have lost weight, even making it with the skin on.  Your call. 
  

Spice mix:  Using a clean coffee grinder reserved for spices, grind fine 3 dried red chili peppers, 1 tablespoon dried thyme,  2 teaspoons each black peppercorns, dried oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon each of sea salt and smoked Spanish paprika.  You will use 2-3 tablespoons for this recipe, and save the rest for other uses.  You could also use a prepared cajun spice mix.

Timing, pans ovens and racks:  The precise timing and method that I have given has worked for a very large skillet a bit deeper than a paella pan, and  rectangular enameled cast iron dish.  It is impossible to be precise here.  Sometimes you just have to go with your good sense and wing it.  The pan should uncovered and be relatively wide relative to its depth. If you like your rice crusty, the bottom of a gas oven works best.  If you don't, or have an electric oven, put it down close near the heat source.

Rice

Harry finally called us, and we continue to be convinced that a Hadassah or Young Judaea publicity agent has taken over the body of our son. He was very pleased to see the recipe for Semur Daging on this blog, but wasn't sure how to make the rice that you serve with it.  Hence this entry. 

Harry is now living in Jerusalem in an apartment with 10 people (ok, 18-20 year-old boys/young men, but they are still people).    It can be challenging to fry schnitzel or even boil pasta for that many. But rice is another matter.  All you need is a pot, rice, and water. If you can cook a big pot of  rice, you can make rice and beans, a good cheap dinner.  (See the recipe for Cuban-style black beans.  One day I will post more dal recipes as well.)

I grew up eating Minute Rice, as did many white Americans of my generation.  What where they thinking?  There are few things as gross as Minute Rice, and few things easier to make than proper white rice, even without a rice cooker.  But we have still been served lots of mushy or undercooked rice in our day, and most recipes call for too much water and too much cooking time. Life is far too short to make, serve or eat bad rice.  So I consider it a social service to the public at large, and not only to my son and his roommates  to post my recipe, a simplified version of one published by Pierre Franey in the 60-Minute Gourmet years ago.  He did it European pilaf style, with butter, onions, broth and herbs.  In our house, rice is the stage on which other ingredients perform, so we keep it simple.  Here is how I do it:

White rice:


Ingredients:

• One part long-grain white rice, such as Carolina or Jasmine (there must be something comparable in Israel) -- converted rice (like Uncle Ben's), basmati rice or Japanese-style rice will not work here
• One and a half parts boiling water
• salt (optional)

Method

1. Put the rice in a pot, and turn on the heat.
2. Pour boiling water over the rice, and shake or stir the pot to be sure the rice doesn't clump.
3. Put the pot over high heat and bring the water back to the boil. Add a bit of salt if you want.  (I generally don't.)
4. After the water comes back to the boil, cover the pot, turn the heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and leave the rice site for at least 5 minutes.  It will stay very warm in the pot, covered, for half an hour or more.

Measuring the rice:  How much rice to make?  There was a time, before people started eating low-carb, when we would make 2 cups of raw rice for a family dinner.  That is now usually one cup.  I would figure that one cup of raw rice is good for about 3-4 adults and 1-2 teens. The nice thing about measuring by part, rather than by cup, is that you can use a coffee cup or whatever is handy.  If you use two coffee cups, clean cans, etc of rice, you use 3 of boiling water and that's that. 

Brown rice:  As with white rice, I find most recipes call for too much water and too much time.  I use a brown basmati or texmati rice here, and the same proportions of rice and water, but no salt.  I cook it for about 40 minutes and let it rest for at least 10, and it generally comes out well cooked, fluffy and not gloppy.

Variation with fat:  Saute the white rice first, using between 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon of butter or oil per cup of rice.  Salt this variation.  The rice will change color slightly, which is when you add the water.  Otherwise, it cooks the same way.  This style of rice is better with European and Latin dishes than with Asian ones.

Frozen (!) tuna with peas, and soubise

My grandfather and my uncle were both fish mongers, and consequently, my parents are something of fish fetishists. They have an intimate relationship with the creatures of the sea and a deep and intuitive knowledge of their anatomy.  I can't decide whether watching them dismember a steamed fish at a Chinese restaurant was a lesson in marine zoology or performance art, but it drove away at least one of my brother's girlfriends. They remind me a bit of the aunt in Woody Allen's Radio Days (the first artistic fruit of his decades in psychoanalysis) who used to win prizes by identifying fish on various occasions, and they were and are almost Cantonese in their insistence that the fish that they eat be absolutely fresh.  Consequently, we always looked down on frozen fish and people who would eat it, and I was raised never to consume it.  It would be like buying polyester, or retail.

However, as it turns out, much of what is sold in markets is actually fish that was frozen on the boat when it was relatively fresh, and then defrosted before sale to the public.  And when you think about it, unless the fish is local, and caught on a day-boat, aren't we better off with frozen fish than with creatures that have been slowly decomposing as they make their way back to shore and market?  I realized this intellectually, but could never bring myself to actually buy fish that was frozen.  Trader Joe's and the recession changed that.  (I used to dislike Trader Joe's but I am re-evaluating the whole phenomenon.  But more on that another time.)  In the past few weeks we have tried their frozen cod, ahi tuna, and mahi-mahi, and all have been at least as good as what we have gotten at Fairway's fish counter, and much, much cheaper.  You just have to look for packages where the fish is solidly frozen and the plastic adheres well to the fish, showing that it hadn't defrosted at some point and been refrozen.  I am a convert.  I will still go to the farmer's market for local fish, and to the fish market for whole fish or a treat, but for everyday meals, the frozen stuff is better than acceptable.  Let it defrost, in the packaging, overnight in the refrigerator. 

I recently prepared tuna with peas and tomato sauce with frozen defrosted ahi tuna. My recipe is based on one that appeared in the New York Times back in 1990.  I have made lots of changes over the years, and I recently looked back at the original recipe and decided not to link to it because mine is far better.  The recipe goes well with rice, but having a spouse who is watching her carbs, I decided to make soubise.  Soubise is an old-fashioned French concoction that is part of stodgy dishes like Veal Orloff where rice cooks with lots of sauteed onions, some other seasonings, and sometimes a little liquid like wine or cream.  The rice absorbs the liquid that the onion gives off.  It is very tasty and very easy, and takes time rather than effort, and my version is much lower in calories than Julia Child's.  It is a great accompaniment to this dish, and a nice low carb side dish, if that is in demand in your home.  The amounts for both recipes will serve two generously.  The ingredients can easily be doubled or tripled to serve more.

Tuna with peas and tomatoes

Ingredients

• 1/2 to 3/4 pound tuna (no skin or bone)
• 1/4 cup flour
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• pinch of hot red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (use they wine you are drinking, otherwise a vermouth;  we used a Verdejo)
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1 to 2 cups frozen tiny peas, defrosted under cold running water

Method

1. Dry the tuna and cut into 1-inch cubes.
2. Season the flour with salt and pepper on a plate.
3. Dredge the tuna lightly in the flour mixture.
4. Heat the vegetable oil on high in a medium nonstick skillet, and add the tuna cubes.  Brown for 1-2 minutes on one side, turn over, then brown for another 1-2 minutes.  Remove tuna to a plate.
5. Pour the oil out of the skillet and add the olive oil.  Heat it on medium, and then add the shallots.  Add the hot red pepper if you would like.  Saute for 2-3 minutes until soft, and add the wine.  Cook for 3 minutes on high, and add the tomatoes.  Cook on high for about 5 minutes, or until the oil begins to separate indicating that you now have a sauce.
6. Add the peas season with salt and pepper, and bring the mixture to a simmer.  Add the tuna, cover, and cook on medium for about 3 minutes.  The tuna will be just barely pink in the center.  If you would like it more well done, cook it for another 2 minutes.  Serve at once.

Soubise (this takes about an hour so start it before the tuna)

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 large Spanish onions, chopped (you should have about 4 cups)
• salt and pepper
• 1 heaping tablespoon to 1/3 cup white rice, preferably arborio or short grain (but the rice disintegrates, so you can use almost any white rice other than converted, minute rice, or basmati).  I used my lesser amount to show my moral support of the low-carbotarian.
• 1/2 cup milk (I use SkimPlus, Julia Child uses cream.  You can use whatever you want)
• 1/2 cup grate Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese

Method

1. Melt 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of butter in a 2 to 3 quart pot with a cover.  Add the bay leaf and saute a few seconds.
2. Add the onions, a little salt and pepper, and saute for a few minutes until the onions begin to soften.
3. Stir in the rice, turn the heat down to low, and cook for about 45 minutes to an hour. Stir every 10 to 15 minutes, maintaining the heat so that the mixture remains at a low simmer.
4. Add the milk, raise heat to medium high, and cook until it is absorbed.  Don't worry if it curdles a bit.  Cook a few more minutes if necessary until the mixture is a puree the texture of a risotto and the rice is almost entirely dissolved.  
5. If you want to gild the lily, beat in 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon additional butter over low heat.  Not necessary, but good.
6. Stir in the grated cheese, check for seasoning, and serve.  This dish can be kept warm if needed, and even reheated in the microwave.

Adobo fried rice

"What smells so good? " are Andrew's first words upon waking up at what for him is the relatively early hour (on days when he does not work in the mornings) of 1 pm.

"Fried rice, and I finished it" was my honest response.

"Oh , that did smell really good though, what I woke up to." (Andrew usually speaks in complete sentences when he is fully conscious.)

It was my lunch, a fried rice made with what was left of the chicken adobo from last Friday's dinner. I can't decide if I prefer the torta (Mexican style sandwich in my last entry) or the fried rice to use up the leftover chicken. The rice certainly works better if there are only scraps left. Here is the recipe:

Chicken adobo fried rice, to serve one

Ingredients

• 1-2 tablespoons chicken fat from the top of the leftovers (it will solidify and come off nicely)
• 1 handful sliced scallions, all the white and some of the green
• 4-5 cloves of garlic from the adobo, mashed
• A few scraps of chicken, off the bone, diced to give about 1/2 cup
• 1-2 cups leftover white rice, at least a day old
• 3-4 tablespoons adobo gravy
• 1 egg

Method

1. Heat the chicken fat is a nonstick skillet on medium heat until melted. (You may also use an impecabbly seasonsed wok or cast-iron skillet, but I never seem to get my utensils to such a level.)
2. Add the scallions and saute until soft, and brown lightly if you wish.
3. Meanwhile, warm the gravy and chicken in a microwave for about a minute just to liquify and make it easier to work with.
4. Remove the cloves of garlic, mash, add to the scallions and saute for a minute or so.
5. Add chopped up chicken and saute to warm and brown lightly if you wish.
6. Add rice, turn heat up to high, and stir fry until hot.
7. Add the adobo gravy and cook until absorbed by the rice.
8. Beat the egg with a pinch of salt.
9. Move the rice to the side, making a hole in the center. If it seems dry, add a bit more fat or some oil.
10. Add the egg and saute until almost firm., then stir into the rice,
11. Enjoy.

Note: This recipe can be multiplied, but not too many times. There has to be room in the skillet to saute it properly.