King Creole Jambalaya

I love, love, love me  tender some jambalaya. Surprisingly, New Orleans is the one major US city that I have never travelled to, to sample some authentic creole cooking. Nevertheless, this recipe comes via the New York Times food section and it is one that I have been making for years. Jambalaya is lot like paella, in the sense that it is chicken and sausage and rice and spices - only here we are using white rice instead of Valencia or arborio and no saffron, thank you very much. I've had to adjust the heat level over time as the Julia child is less than tolerant of a hunk of burning food on her palette - it leaves her all shook up. It is an easy go to recipe that's always on my mind. Wise man say only fools rush in, but Jambalaya, I can't help falling in love with you. Sure beats a fried banana and peanut butter sandwich.

King Creole, the 1958 tour de force for Elvis, starring opposite Carolyn Jones (aka Morticia Addams) and Walter Matthau in a gritty musical drama set in a French Quarter nightclub. Gangs, guns, and tainted love become our hero's downfall. This film is as good as it gets for Elvis. Only Jailhouse Rock comes close to demonstrating the real talent Elvis had for acting. After that, Colonel Tom Parker, his "trusted" manager,  signed him to do fluff beach blanket movies where Elvis' character characteristically was always named Rick and most certainly always got the girl. No wonder Elvis was depressed, on drugs, and so over weight he had to wear full-figured karate-like jump suits on stage. Gone was the fun loving, husband of a 14 year old Priscilla, buy every one a Cadillac, Elvis. On a college road trip/pilgrimage with three cohorts to Graceland in 1986, the stark contrast between Elvis the man, and Elvis the performer were on display. Especially in the Jungle Room, where a young happy go lucky Elvis selected all of the furniture in under 15 minutes from a Memphis department store. ( Being 20 at the time, our gang of four may not have been as reverent as some of the other visitors, up to and including when I sarcastically inquired to the young woman whose job it was to point with a flourish at fat Elvis' jumpsuits "How do you get a job like this?" Her most serious southern retort: "You apply"). Gone well before his time (if you believe he's dead - I think he wasn't until Lisa Marie married Michael Jackson and that's what killed him), Elvis truly was King, blue suede shoes and all.



The Recipe:

3/4 cup long-grain rice
4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
4 oz low fat (you know, like young Elvis) spicy chicken sausage, sliced thin
16 oz red & green peppers (4c) chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs thyme, washed, dried and chopped
2/3 cup no-salt added (to avoid bloating) tomato puree
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes
1/8 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Combine rice and 1 1/2 cups water, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed (17 minutes). While rice is cooking, in a 3 qt pot, saute chicken and sausage in sausage's own fat until chicken is browned; remove and set aside. Wipe out but a thin coating of fat from pot. Saute peppers about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add tomato puree, wine, stock, hot pepper flakes and thyme along with the chicken and the sausage. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and continue to cook until flavors are completely blended, just a few minutes. When rice is cooked, add to pot and stir in. Season with salt and pepper and serve with a hunka, hunka crusty bread. Serves one for the money, two fro the show, three to get ready, and four cats go.