March 20, 2011 - 4:38pm
The Boys Who Cook
BY JORDAN KRISTOPIK
- Jambalaya!
I’m not going to try to pretend that cooking isn’t heavily female-based. Preparing dinner for others, planning parties, and being the eternal host…hey, it’s our 1950’s family instincts, right?
So when a friend of mine insisted that his grilled steak was “so good,” and that his roasted vegetables and French mashed potatoes “were ridiculously delicious,” I had to see for myself. But what I got what was far better than grilling: “I’m making Jambalaya.”
Um, yes please.
Jambalaya is a Louisiana Creole dish with French and Spanish influence. First, meat is added to a big pot, usually chicken and sausage (the spicier, the better). Next vegetables and tomatoes are added to cook, followed by seafood (shrimp for us). Rice and stock are added in equal proportions at the very end. The mixture is brought to a boil and left to simmer for 20 to 60 minutes, depending on the recipe, with infrequent stirring. It is spicy and creamy and full of flavor; Comfort food with a kick.
He followed a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated, courtesy of the “supervising” friend who has a subscription. While I watched the former shred chicken and measure out spices, the latter gave me a few insights on men in the kitchen.
“Men cooking is 50% ego,” he said. Like I didn’t know that already. His job as “supervisor” was to make the cook feel bad whenever he measured wrong, asked to hear a direction repeated, or ran out of cayenne pepper.
“It’s not going to be spicy enough. You realized you just ruined the whole thing, right? Way to go.”
I, for one, enjoyed sipping (okay, gulping) cheap red wine and not having to do anything, dishes included. And by the end of the night, I was thoroughly impressed. I inhaled my dinner and destroyed my stereotype that guys only order pizza, microwave Stouffer’s, and drink beer.
Successful evening? I’d say so. I hope they get used to one more mouth to feed for the next meal.
Check out the recipe below. Time consuming, but so worth it. Feel free to eliminate and make substitutions based on what you have in your kitchen. I mean, seriously, who has clam juice? Just use more stock.
Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya
Courtesy of Cook’s Illustrated, published May 1, 2002.
Ingredients
1 medium onion , peeled, ends trimmed, and quartered lengthwise
1 medium rib celery , cut crosswise into quarters
1 medium red bell pepper , stem removed, seeded, and quartered lengthwise
5 medium cloves garlic , peeled
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
8 ounces andouille sausage , halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice (10 ounces)
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (see note)
1 can diced tomatoes (14 1/2-ounce), drained, 1/4 cup juice reserved
1 cup clam juice (bottled)
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 pound medium shrimp (31 to 35 shrimp per pound), or large shrimp, shelled
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
1. In food processor, pulse onion, celery, red pepper, and garlic until chopped fine, about six 1-second pulses, scraping down sides of bowl once or twice. Do not overprocess; vegetables should not be pureed.
2. Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes. Add chicken, skin-side down, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and cook until golden brown on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to plate and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add andouille; cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towel–lined plate and set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, add vegetables, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon, until vegetables have softened, about 4 minutes. Add rice, salt, thyme, and cayenne; cook, stirring frequently, until rice is coated with fat, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, clam juice, chicken broth, bay leaves, and browned sausage to pot; stir to combine. Remove and discard skin from chicken; place chicken, skinned-side down, on rice. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir once, keeping chicken on top, skinned-side down. Replace cover and continue to simmer until chicken is no longer pink when cut into with paring knife, about 10 minutes more; transfer chicken to clean plate and set aside. Scatter shrimp over rice, cover, and continue to cook until rice is fully tender and shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
4. While shrimp are cooking, shred chicken (see illustration below). When shrimp are cooked, discard bay leaves; off heat, stir in parsley and shredded chicken, and serve immediately.
