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Jambalaya: The Kitchen Sink Stew

Jambalaya is New Orleans. It’s hot; it’s spicy; and it’s a mix of different cultures and traditions all in one big pot. Kind of like N’Awlins, right? And this Sunday you can learn to make the dish at Chef Ryan’s Cooking like a Cajun class. (From 6-9p; $60 per person; 425-259-6311)

Jambalaya is an evolution of the Spanish Paella served in New Orleans in the 19^th century. Without saffron the Spanish immigrants used tomatoes and the rest is history. Jambalaya is basically a stew of rice and meat and has often been referred to as the “Kitchen Sink Stew” because you can just about throw any meat or vegetable into it. Common meats used in Jambalaya include ham, chicken, sausage, fresh pork, shrimp, crawfish and oysters.

Here’s a few fun facts about Jambalaya:

- Creole Jambalaya includes tomatoes, while Cajun Jamabalaya does not

- There’s a third type of Jambalaya called White Jambalaya in which the meat and vegetables are cooked separately from the rice

- Gonzales, Louisiana is the Jambalaya Capital of the World and holds the annual Jambalaya Festival in the spring.

- Jambalaya did not appear in a cookbook until 1878, when The Gulf City Cook Book, by the Ladies of the St. Francis Street Methodist Episcopal Church, was printed in South Mobile, Alabama. It contains a recipe for “JAM BOLAYA”

- President Franklin D. Roosevelt once refused a dish of Jambalaya from a prominent family in Virginia, citing that he was allergic to crawfish.

- Hank Williams’ song “Jambalaya (On the Bayou)” has been covered by more than thirty artists from Dolly Parton to the White Stripes.

 This Sunday Chef will also be showing you what to do with your old rice. Creole Calas rice fritters are a great treat for anyone with some leftover rice sitting around the kitchen. Basically Calas are deep fried rice cakes, made with sugar, flour, eggs and rice. It was a popular breakfast food in New Orleans in the early twentieth century. Good Calas can give even the best Beignets a run for their money.

Also on the menu for Sunday’s class is fried chicken and that tasty bread pudding you’ve been having at the Soul for years now. So give us a call at 425-259-6311 and sign up for the Cooking like a Cajun this Sunday from 6-9 p.m. If you know Chef then you know you’ll at least be entertained along with an epic meal.