On Sunday I made a huge batch of jambalaya. I used the recipe and techniques from the class I took in New Orleans. There needed to be enough to serve us for dinner as well as enough for the team at work. I had said I’d provide lunch for our first Monday back together.
Let me say it was a bit less time consuming in New Orleans. Dicing and slicing all of the ingredients did take some time. I got the vegetables finished in the morning after I got up. This gave me time to do some other things on my list before I had to finish the recipe for dinner.
When the jambalaya was done, it was definitely flavorful. However, the rice hadn’t quite cooked all the way. The texture was still a bit al dente. Eatable, but not quite fully done. It gave the jambalaya a little bit of a crunchy taste.
This texture has bothered me all week. I almost didn’t take the jambalaya to work because it wasn’t just right. They were polite in their comments, and I also know it was a bit grainy. I’ve realized I probably used the wrong type of rice. Regular white rice was what I had used. Using paella rice probably would have been a better choice.
It was what I had thought when I last made jambalaya, but the class and recipe didn’t say either way. I do know from experience white rice will not work in paella. It only makes sense it would be the same for jambalaya.
What this means is, whether the family is ready or not, there is jambalaya in their near future. I have to test my theory, and there is no other way than to make more food. Oh darn!
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 