This nicely seasoned jambalaya, a rice-based dish similar to a low country purlow, starts with the classic trinity of vegetables, contains bacon, spicy andouille smoked sausage, and cubes of pork loin, and is baked to a fluffy perfection.
Pork and Andouille Jambalaya
We enjoy jambalaya year round down here along the coast because it's a perfect party dish and take-along for picnics, reunions and those potluck gatherings that still remain popular in the south. Sort of a deep south take on purlow or even a paella, jambalaya is a rice central dish, but from there it can meet with a wide range of ingredients – usually some kind of pork, shrimp or chicken, and often accented with andouille, a spicy smoked Cajun sausage.
Jambalaya is a popular dish for many reasons - it can usually be made from what you have on hand, making it very economical, plus it is a hearty dish that can feed quite a lot of people, and it both freezes and reheats beautifully. Because it is such a perfect party food, I featured this jambalaya in the February/March 2012 issue of eat. drink. Mississippi as my Mardi Gras season column feature. If you're a resident of Mississippi, or are separated from our home state, you really should check it out. It's a great magazine featuring everything foodie in Mississippi, from restaurants and chefs, to bakeries and stores, gourmet foods and gift shops, to regional bloggers, and everything in between, across every region of the Magnolia State. You'll love it.
Jambalaya comes in two basic forms here along the Gulf Coast - one being a more Cajun style version that is essentially a brown jambalaya like this one, and the other a Creole style that is similar, but generally including some kind of tomato. We even have our own version of Hoppin' John Jambalaya down this way, and we've had the nerve to carry its concept over to pasta, though some purists get up in arms about that one. As you see, it's a pretty versatile dish.
While you certainly can, and many people do, cook jambalaya start to finish on the top of the stove, I find the texture and consistency better when it's finished in the oven, tightly covered. I've seen a lot of stove-top, gummy jambalaya in my life and I don't like my jambalaya gooey. The process of baking it seems to eliminate that, producing more separated rice grains, and resulting in a drier, more fluffy jambalaya, the way that I personally prefer it. Here's how I make it.
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