As I write this, I am cooking up some jambalaya. Not any honky
tonk jambalaya from the box, either. I’m talking colorful, from
scratch, filled with everything under the sun, smokin’ spicy
jambalaya
– just the thing for a cold winter night. I haven’t dragged out
this recipe for a while and tonight is perfect.
As I write this, I am cooking up some jambalaya. Not any honky tonk jambalaya from the box, either. I’m talking colorful, from scratch, filled with everything under the sun, smokin’ spicy jambalaya – just the thing for a cold winter night. I haven’t dragged out this recipe for a while and tonight is perfect. Unfortunately, I have exactly two of the ingredients and that’s not a good ratio for this kind of dish.
So back to the store, and back home. Now I’m set. The cat’s on the stairs, the dog’s on her rug watching my every move, I’ve got a good glass of red wine and the perfect pot. It’s going to be a late dinner, but worth every minute.
This is a picky dish, and by that I don’t mean it’s for people who only like a few things. This is a dish for someone who loves food – someone who loves to pick and choose with a fork, but eventually eat it all, someone who isn’t afraid of a few contradictions.
Jambalaya is mixed messages in a bowl. You’ve got fishes of the sea mixing with birds of the air and pork on the ground – but it works! You’ve got onions and bell peppers and chile peppers. Throw in your rice and the necessary Tabasco. You either love it or don’t – there’s no in between.
OK, confession time. I take a break from writing to do the step where you add the broth and the salt and pepper – and the Tabasco. But, alas, there is no Tabasco in the cupboard. My husband says, “What? How can that be?”
We always have spare Tabasco. But this time it’s true. We’ve actually run out and I’ve already been to the store and I’m not going back, so I do the next best thing: Start asking the dog what I should do. She rolls over, sighs and offers no advice.
I’ve now added Frank’s Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce, Louisiana Supreme Pepper Sauce (made with Tabasco peppers), Trappey’s Good ‘n’ Hot Mexi-Pep Louisiana Hot Sauce, and Marie Sharp’s Habañero Pepper Sauce that we brought back from a trip to Belize. It’s still not hot enough.
(My advice to you: Make sure you have some Tabasco in the house before you start. I think I would be an absolute flop on a live TV show. What kind of an example is this?)
Anyway, back to the matter at hand. Don’t you just love it when a bunch of different ingredients form a beautiful whole? That’s jambalaya. My readers, for instance, are a varied bunch. I’ve got gourmet Mexican cooks, seasoned Italian chefs and bakers par excellence. The recipes I have received over the years have been inventive, fun and sometimes surprising, but always so, so good.
I have had a wonderful time receiving your mail, talking to you on the phone and trading recipes with you in the grocery store. That’s why it’s been so hard to make the following decision: I’m going to retire from Jenny’s Kitchen on Saturday, Dec. 18.
Silly as it may seem, it’s an emotional decision. I’ve been writing this column for eight years … three recipes per week and something to say on top. You have all been very liberal and forgiving in allowing me to tackle a variety of subjects – not always cooking related. I’ve been grateful to have your comments, encouragement, new ideas and advice. I have made many wonderful friends through Jenny’s Kitchen and I know those friendships will continue beyond the column.
Sometimes in life, you have to make room for change and new opportunities. That’s what I’m doing, though I will certainly miss writing to you every week.
Now, onto the great news: I am going to help look for my replacement. If you have a desire to write and a passion for family cooking, we want to hear from you. Write a sample column by Nov. 30 and e-mail it to jd****@****ic.com. We hope our new columnist will start in January.
In the meantime, you’re stuck with me. And, since I’ve been writing so long, the jambalaya is stuck to the bottom of the pan. Luckily, it’s non-stick, so the mix will be served – hot rice, chunks of chicken, bacon, sausage, prawns and garlic for good measure. Like I said, mixed messages in a bowl, mixed feelings in my heart. But a good mix, all the same.
Happy cooking!
Jenny Midtgaard Derry is the executive director of the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau and the owner of Jenny Derry Design, specializing in kitchen and bath remodels. Write to her c/o The Dispatch, P.O. Box 22365, Gilroy, CA 95021 or e-mail her at jd****@****ic.com.
JJ’s Jambalaya
By John Madden, adapted by
Jenny Derry
¼ cup olive oil
¼ lb. bacon or sausage
1 lb. chicken thighs, cubed
1 lb. peeled, deveined prawns
1 chopped onion
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 T. chopped garlic
14 oz. stewed tomatoes
3 small cans chicken broth
1 ½ cans uncooked rice
Salt & pepper
Tabasco hot sauce
Step 1 Brown bacon or sausage, chicken and prawns. Do in batches; remove meat to platter to cool (keep prawns separate from the rest).
Step 2 In same pot, sauté onions, bell pepper and celery for 10 minutes. Add garlic and tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 3 Add stock, sausage, chicken, salt, pepper and hot sauce, to taste. (Note: The broth should taste too salty and too hot; the rice is going to soak up a lot of those tastes.) Add rice and stir. Bring back to a boil. Turn to low and cover pot.
Step 4 Cook 20 minutes. Turn rice from the bottom of the pot. Add prawns. Steam until rice is tender. Serve with added hot sauce. Enjoy!
Winter Vegetable Potage
3 tablespoons butter
4 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), thin sliced
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
4 cups leftover cooked vegetables (such as broccoli and carrots and other
root vegetables) or frozen thick-cut stew vegetables
2 large potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes
2 cups cabbage, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Additional butter
Step 1 Melt butter in large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leeks, onion and garlic; cover and cook until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups broth, cooked or frozen vegetables, potato, cabbage and rosemary. Bring soup to boil.
Step 2 Reduce heat; partially cover pan and simmer until all vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Thin soup, if desired, with additional broth. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3 Ladle soup into bowls. Top each bowl with a thin pat of butter and freshly ground pepper.
Albondigas Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes
1 14 1/2-ounce can beef broth
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
Chopped fresh cilantro
Sour cream (optional)
Step 1 Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and three garlic cloves and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon chili powder and cook 1 minute longer. Add tomatoes with their juices and beef broth. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Puree mixture in blender or processor in batches; return to saucepan.
Step 2 Season beef with salt and pepper. Mix in remaining garlic clove, 1/2 tablespoon chili powder and oregano. Form beef into 1-inch meatballs. Return soup to gentle simmer. Add meatballs to soup and simmer until meatballs are just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish soup with chopped fresh cilantro and serve with sour cream if desired.
Super Moist Chocolate Mayo Cake
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup water
3 eggs
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients. Bake as directed on the box.
Notes
• Clos La Chance Winery has just opened a second tasting room in Monterey at 400 Cannery Row. The new location is designed to expose more people to the winery’s offerings. At the home winery in San Martin, join Clos La Chance for “Fireside Thursdays” during December. Beginning Thursday, Dec. 2, sip a glass of wine ($3 each) in front of a roaring fire in the tasting room’s Grand Salon from 5 to 8 p.m. No reservations necessary. Clos La Chance is located at 1 Hummingbird Lane, off of Watsonville Road, in San Martin. Phone: (408) 686-1050.
• The Garlic Shoppe in Gilroy is offering special baskets for delivery during the holidays. The choices range from cookbooks and garlic accouterments to Mama Rap’s sauces and pickled vegetables. Prices start at $27.50 and include gift wrapping. For details, visit www.garlicshoppe.com or call (800) 842-MAMA. The Garlic Shoppe is located at 4350 Monterey Highway in Gilroy.
• I tried some wonderful walnut bread from Carlsen Bread at the Morgan Hill Farmer’s Market on Saturday. Beate Carlsen’s cards say, “You should taste my love for bread and baking in every loaf!” Believe me, I did. The walnut bread is delicious, nutty and full of flavor. For more information on Carlsen Bread of Morgan Hill, go to www.carlsenbread.com.
• B & R Farms of Hollister if offering gift packs that include huge, plump Blenheim apricots. What a great idea for someone living in a cold state! B&R Farms is a family-operated business. In 1981, Jim and Mari started selling apricots from the trunk of their car. A few short years later, the apricots were being shipped nationwide. My favorite gift packs include at least some chocolate-covered apricots. For a brochure, call (831) 637-9168 or visit the farm’s Web site, www.brfarms.com.
• One last note: Thank you to reader April Langdon who let me know that Antonio Del Buono elementary school still has several copies of its excellent community cookbook available. They are now only $1 each and a true bargain. Visit the school at 9300 Wren Avenue in Gilroy.
