"andouille" news and stories

There are several methods to making jambalaya, and I am sure people will argue until the end of time as to which is better, but personally I like them both. The first type, which is what I made, is known as Creole-style or red jambalaya which includes tomatoes. The second type, Cajun jambalaya, is brown in color and does not have any tomatoes added.

Red jambalaya is very easy to prepare and can be made in one pot, though I tend to fry my sausage separately to ensure that it is well done. That's just my choice though, you can do it either way. I chose to use ham and andouille sausage for mine, but there are a number of different meats and seafood you can use, it is all a matter of personal taste and what you have available.

I've included the recipe after the jump, as well as some suggestions as to how you can make this dish suit your personal preferences.

Grits get a bad rap. Thought of as a staple in Appalachian and Deep South diets (which conjures up plenty of fried and fatty foods), grits are making their way into the mainstream and, gasp, can be had in restaurants as far north as Seattle and Boston.

Grits, or hominy grits, are made from corn kernels dried on the cob, removed, and soaked in a solution of baking soda, lime or wood ash. The kernels are then dehulled from the hominy. There is a do-it-yourself process from Mountain Laurel in case you venture to try a grits dish and want to give it whirl in the kitchen. Watch the lye solution ... I've made soap this way and you wouldn't want any going down the gully.

I'd like to see grits incorporated into recipes considered traditionally Northern: any rice/meat combo that doesn't involve shrimp: souffles, tabuli, any rice dish. Still, pork-laced red beans and grits, Andouille (a Louisiana sausage) and grits, creamed spinach and grits ... I feel like the shrimp boat guy in 'Forest Gump.' Seriously, check out the grit scene. And if there isn't one around you, start asking hosts/hostesses to pass along the request to management at your eats joints.

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