My First Love

Do you remember when you fell in love? Do you remember the feeling of your heart racing and the excitement of what you had just discovered? Do you remember that feeling of longing for love when you weren’t with it? The moments of anticipation when you knew that you would see love again? You couldn’t sleep the night before, and waking up in the morning was never an effort. You dressed differently, your clothes were crisp, shoes were shined, and everything fit just right. Your daily routine was different too. You had a hop in your step, your smile energized the people you met, food tasted different, and music had a smooth and sweet sound that sent you chills.

I remember the first time I fell in love. It was years ago when I, along with a few good friends went to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. At the time I was a sales and marketing director of a private banquet facility in Iowa City, Iowa. Young and naïve, I had no idea what was about to hit me. The first day there, we walked up and down a few of the side streets that ran parallel and perpendicular to Bourbon Street. The city and people were alive with the smells of great food and even better music. Hungry and saturated by Bloody Maries, I stopped at a small restaurant to get a quick food fix. A guy sitting outside the front door was selling small Styrofoam bowls of jambalaya. I had no idea of what it was but he was convincing and told me I had to try it. I popped the top off the container and dug in with my white plastic spoon. The piping hot spicy flavors of garlic, tomatoes, sausage and shrimp exploded. Something special had just happened and I was in love! For the rest of my time in the Big Easy, I rarely ate anything but jambalaya. I couldn’t get enough.

When I got back to Iowa, I researched various recipes and tried as best as I could to replicate that special moment. At this point in my life, I had no culinary skills at all. I tried to learn and learn and in the process, I realized that not only did I love food but also more importantly, I had a passion for cooking. From that moment on, I would cook for anyone who was hungry. I made some great dishes in that time but also had great failures too. It didn’t matter. I was learning to cook and the thrill of exciting friends and family was what brought me to life. I remember watching Emeril Lagasse and Bobby Flay on the Food Network, trying to do everything that they did. I wanted to be like them. I wanted to be a chef!

Not long after, I left my life in Iowa City and enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago. This is when life truly began for me. My dreams and passion for becoming a chef were about to come true! Anthony Bourdain once said that being a chef is not a calling but a sickness. I couldn’t agree more. When I reminisce of the moment that food and I fell in love, I can’t help but think it was the moment I had jambalaya at Mardi Gras.

This week I present to you, my first love.

Andouille Sausage, Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya

What you'll need.

1 red bell pepper, small dice

1 green bell pepper, small dice

1 yellow or white onion, small dice (sensing a pattern here?)

4 stalks of celery, you guessed it…small dice

6 garlic cloves, minced

8 roma tomatoes, small dice

1-tablespoon tomato paste

¾ cup of low sodium Cajun seasoning

1 cup white wine

1-pound Andouille sausage, small dice

1-pound raw chicken, small dice

1-pound 21-25 count shrimp, pealed and deveined of course.

4 cups rice

10 cups chicken or vegetable stock

6 scallions, sliced really thin at an angle or bias cuts

In a large stockpot, render the fat out of the Andouille sausage over medium high heat. When the fat has been released, about 4 minutes, add in the chopped chicken and Cajun seasoning. Using your high heat spatula, give the chicken and Andouille sausage a few good stirs to ensure that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the stockpot. When the chicken has been thoroughly cooked, about 5 minutes depending on the size of your small dice, add in the shrimp. After about four minutes, the shrimp will turn a bright pink color and at this point, grab your tongs and transfer the cooked shrimp to a clean plate lined with paper towels.

Now that the shrimp have been removed, add in the trinity and minced garlic. The trinity is the bell peppers, celery and onion. Remember in past articles how I defined the French term, mire poix? Mire poix is a simple combination of carrots, onions and celery. Well in Cajun cooking, the trinity is the Cajun version of mire poix. Sauté the trinity with the Andouille sausage and chicken along with a pinch of sea or kosher salt. When the trinity has become wilted or translucent, add the tomato paste. Using your high heat spatula, jostle the components until the tomato paste has been fully incorporated.

Deglaze the stockpot with the white wine and reduce until the trinity has soaked up all of the wine, about 3 minutes. At this point add the rice. Sauté the rice for about 4 minutes and then add the diced tomatoes. When the fibers of the tomatoes have begun to break down, about 5 minutes, add in the stock. Bring the stock to a rolling boil, reduce the flame to medium low, slap the lid on the stockpot and allow the rice to braise in the stock for about 20-25 minutes.

When the rice is completely cooked through, check the mix for seasoning. Salt you ask??? I’m pretty sure it’s going to need it. Add salt! When the jambalaya is to the point of proper seasoning, remove it from the heat, fold in the chopped parsley with your high heat spatula and get ready to serve.

To plate, spoon a healthy portion of the jambalaya to the center of your finest white rimmed bowl. Skewer the now cooled fully cooked shrimp on a medium sized bamboo or metal skewer and rest upon your lovely mound of jambalaya goodness. Finish the presentation with the thinly sliced green onions and serve!

FYI, you may want to keep a small bottle of Louisiana hot sauce or Tabasco sauce handy. The spice in this particular recipe is rather tame so if you’re like me and enjoy life and food on the spicy side, have at it! In New Orleans, the restaurants serve the jambalaya and accompanying sauces in the same fashion so it’s totes appropes to “keep it real” in this instance!

“Laissez les bon temps rouler!” (Translation “Let the good times roll!”)

Happy Mardi Gras and Buen Provecho!