Jazzed by Jambalaya
This popular Louisiana dish perks up Florida menus
For those who love all things Southern, jambalaya is a menu favorite. Made with a blend of seafood, chicken, sausage, vegetables, rice and flavorings such as onions, celery and bell pepper, jambalaya dates back to the late 1800s when rural chefs in Louisiana used whatever ingredients they had on hand, sometimes even alligator, to make this one-pot dish. Its roots are Louisiana Creole, with Spanish and French influences. The ingredients vary depending on the particular area of Louisiana where the dish originates. In New Orleans, Creole chefs often use tomatoes and seafood, whereas in the Louisiana bayous, Cajun chefs are more likely to use smoked meats.
For many, jambalaya family recipes have been passed down through the generations, along with the cast-iron pots that the dish is most often cooked in—as in the case of Michael Mark Catalan, a Louisiana native and owner and head chef of A Cajun Bowl, a restaurant he recently opened in Cape Coral. “I use the same recipes as my grandparents,” explains Catalan, who cooks with a blend of Cajun and Creole. Catalan also offers gumbo and po’boy sandwiches on his menu, both Southern favorites.
Jambalaya is cooked long and slow, and many times the rice is added at the same time as the other ingredients. “The dish is often served with a Creole potato salad noted for its mustardy flavor, and/or navy beans or white beans,” explains Catalan as he stirs the simmering pot, adding a little hot peppery chowchow spice for more zest.
A Cajun Bowl serves several types of jambalaya, all featuring Cajun andouille, a smoked-beef-and-pork-sausage blend and stewed tomatoes mixed with white rice. Beck’s Beef Jambalaya has tender beef strips added to the mix, and Pop Pop’s Pork Jambalaya kicks it up a notch with juicy chunks of pork. Seafood lovers should definitely order Sydney’s Seafood Jambalaya, which has shrimp, crabmeat and crawfish. And if you want meat and seafood then Johnny’s Jumpin’ Jambalaya gives you plenty of both: shrimp, crabmeat and crawfish, plus beef and pork.
While Catalan’s Louisiana roots influence his jambalaya dishes, other recipes in the area have a Florida twist. “It all starts with fresh seafood from our Florida waters,” says Justin Patrick Timineri, certified executive chef and culinary ambassador for the Division of Marketing and Development, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. In that role, Timineri is naturally well versed in cooking with seafood. He won the Food Network Challenge 2006 Great American Seafood Cook-off in New Orleans, which garnered his entry the title of Best Domestic Seafood Dish in the Country.
Timineri has a Florida version of jambalaya that uses local shrimp, clams and sausage (recipe shown here). “Knowing the seasonal availability of Florida’s seafood species is a great way to ensure that you are using the best ingredients,” adds Timineri.
In addition to A Cajun Bowl, there are other local restaurants where you can enjoy the lively taste of jambalaya. Crave in Fort
Myers includes on its dinner menu Shrimp Jambalaya made with jumbo local gulf shrimp, andouille sausage, sweet peppers and onions. SS Hookers in Fort Myers, located just before the Sanibel Causeway, serves up a jambalaya made with andouille sausage, tasso ham, chicken, shrimp and assorted vegetables in a tomato seafood stock with rice.
Jambalaya lovers can attest: When the dish is finally done cookin’, it is bon gou delight! Ann Marie O’Phelan is a Southwest Florida resident who loves spicy foods.