Jambalaya, Tell Me Sweet Jambalaya

Being a huge fan of The Wire, I recently started watching the HBO series Treme. Season 1 focuses on a group of characters from New Orleans rebuilding their lives after the devastation Hurricane Katrina. 

From Episode One I was pretty much hooked and the more I watched, it got me to thinking that I don’t cook enough Creole and Cajun food. So I decided that I needed to rectify this ASAP and make myself some Jambalaya.

I had attempted to make Jambalaya several years earlier with mixed results. Okay, that’s an understatement, it tasted pretty average indeed. I think the main reason was that the dish lacked any real depth of flavour. It came down to the fact that I used a store bought chicken stock and it really didn’t cut it. Now don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against store bought stock. Not everyone has the time to make their own stock every time nor the space to store different master stocks. But sometimes it is worth taking the time to make it all from scratch.

There are many varieties of Jambalaya; from the Creole version, which uses tomato to flavour the dish, and the Cajun that omits tomato and uses the browned meat from the bottom of the pot to colour and flavour the dish. It also tends to be smoky and spicier than its Creole cousin.

I wanted my Jambalaya to recreate the flavours of New Orleans but still tie in the dark swampy Bayous of South Western Louisiana. To emulate this I decided to flavour this stock with Roast Duck, Bourbon, Chipotle and Prawns.

I think this is a great dish to start on a Saturday afternoon in anticipation of a great Sunday dinner. It fills your home with some wonderfully dark, rich smells and if you happen to play some Dixieland in the background and close your eyes, you may just be transported to Bourbon Street New Orleans, even if it’s just for a moment.

Roast Duck, Bourbon and Chipotle Jambalaya with Black Tiger Prawns and Chorizo Sausage.

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the Jambalaya

4 x Duck Legs

2x Chorizo Sausage Cut into Slices

500g Long Grain Rice

1 x Tin Tomatoes Crushed

½ Red Onion Finely Chopped

¾ Red Capsicum Finely Chopped

¾ Green Capsicum Finely Chopped

6 x Long Red Chilli, Stems removed, deseeded and finely chopped

2 Litres Roast Duck, Bourbon and Chipotle Stock

2 Sprigs Thyme, Leaves Removed and Finely Chopped

10 x Black Tiger Prawns Shelled and Deviened (Shells and Heads Reserved)

2 Sprigs Parsley Leaves Finely Chopped

50ml Olive Oil

¼ Tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper

Salt

Pepper

For the Roast Duck, Bourbon and Chipotle Stock

2.5 Litres of Water

2 x Red Onions Chopped

2 x Stalks Celery Chopped

2 x Carrots Chopped

2 x Chipotle Chillies

2 x Duck Carcasses Roughly Chopped

4 x Duck Wings Roughly Chopped

10 x Prawn Shells and Heads (Cleaned)

175ml Bourbon

10 Cloves Garlic Peeled and Smashed

50ml Olive Oil

Salt

Method

For the Roast Duck, Bourbon and Chipotle Stock

  1. Pre Heat Oven to 180 Degrees Celsius
  2. Using a Blowtorch or Burner carefully heat Chipotle Chillies until aromatic. Reserve.
  3. Heat a Large Pot over a low heat and add the Olive Oil and Onions
  4. Cook Onions stirring constantly until they caramelise (approx 30 min)
  5. Add Carrots and Celery to pot and cook until soft.
  6. Place Duck Carcasses, Wings and Garlic Cloves on Roasting Tray and cook until golden brown.
  7. Remove Tray from oven, place Duck Carcasses, Wings and Garlic into the Pot
  8. Place Tray over a burner on a medium heat and deglaze Tray with Bourbon. Scrape all the roasting juices off the bottom of the tray and cook off ¾ of the Bourbon. Add to Pot.
  9. Add the Chipotle and add enough water to just cover the ingredients. Heat until gentle simmer and cover.
  10. Cook Stock for 2 hours.
  11. Add Prawn Shells and Heads and cook for a further 25 minutes
  12. Strain stock through a China Cap into a large bowl using a ladle to press all the liquid out.
  13. Strain Liquid again this time through a Fine Mesh Sieve.
  14. Cover the Bowl and place into the Fridge overnight if possible, minimum 2 hours.
  15. Remove stock from Fridge and using a large spoon remove the solidified layer of fat from the top of the stock. Reserve Stock.

For the Jambalaya

  1. Heat Olive Oil in a Pot over a low heat
  2. Add Onions, Chillies and Capsicum and cook until Soft
  3. While they are cooking heat a Griddle Pan over a medium heat and brown Duck legs.
  4. Increase the heat under the Pot to Medium, add Sausage and Brown
  5. Add Duck Legs, Tomatoes, Stock, Thyme a few grinds of black pepper and about a ¼ of a teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper.
  6. Bring to a simmer and cook for approx 20 minutes.
  7. Remove Duck Legs from pot and take the meat off the bones. Chop up into large chunks and return to the pot.
  8. Add the rice to the pot and cook until almost done. Should take 10-15 minutes.
  9. Add Prawns and cook for a further 5 minutes. Rice should be cooked through and the Prawns cooked until not translucent.
  10. Add Parsley and season to taste with Salt and Pepper. If you want it a little hotter add a little more Cayenne Pepper and stir through well.
  11. Serve with a beer, a chilled glass of white wine or for those who are truly game… a shot of Bourbon!

1 Notes/ Hide

  1. foodthatrocks posted this