# Jambalaya and Gumbo?



## pot clanger

Tried following a few threads, but can't find what I'm looking for...  I would love a jambalaya recipe.... but now I'm wondering about gumbo....  would appreciate any suggestions and commentary on your experiences with both!

TANX!  ***clang-clang-clang***


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## Andy M.

Here's a start.


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## GrillingFool

This is kinda a melding of the two; quite tasty!

Sassy Creole Fish Seafood Stew

 3  tablespoons   olive oil
3 slices pepperoni (very optional!)
1 cup onions, chopped   
4 garlic clove, minced
1 carrots, julienned
3 celery ribs, chopped
2-3 small zucchini, chopped
1 bag frozen okra
1/2 green pepper, choppped
2 bay leaf
1/8 tsp basil
pinch nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 cup tomatoes, diced (if canned, reduce water accordingly)
1 cup tomato juice 
2 cups vegetable stock or water (chicken stock? fish stock?)
5 dash Tabasco sauce
salt
black pepper
2 lemons, juice of
1/2 lbs tilapia fillets, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 lbs shrimp
1/4 lbs kielbasa sausage, cut into same size as fish  (optional)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 lemons, cut into wedges

   1. Saute the pepperoni, onions, celery and garlic until the onions are translucent.
 Remove pepperoni and enjoy.
   2. Add zucchini and green pepper; saute about 5 minutes.
   4. Add kielbasa, bay leaf, thyme, tomatoes, tomato juice, and stock or water. 
Simmer about 20 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
   5. Add hot pepper sauce, basil, nutmeg, salt and black pepper.
   6. Stir in the lemon juice and fish. Simmer about 5 minutes 
until the fish is just cooked and flakes easily with a fork.
   7. ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley. 
Serve with lemon wedges and more hot sauce. 
Serve over rice.


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## pot clanger

Grilling Fool:  HA!  "remove pepperoni and enjoy..."

Andy M:  Thanks - I guess I'll do more research about baking the gumbo?  I read in another thread that jambalaya is supposed to be cooked WITH the rice, not served OVER rice, as I had originally thought...

I  might try mixing the two recipes...  Thanks, both of you!


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## Andy M.

pot clanger said:


> ..Andy M: Thanks - I guess I'll do more research about baking the gumbo? I read in another thread that jambalaya is supposed to be cooked WITH the rice, not served OVER rice, as I had originally thought...
> 
> I might try mixing the two recipes... Thanks, both of you!


 

Try the Prudhomme recipe for chiocken and tasso jambalaya.  It's really good.  I serve it with creole sauce to top the jambalaya.


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## pot clanger

First off, I'm hungry, so everything sounds so good... kind of a problem right now!

I would like to add the shrimp & tilapia to the Chef Paul recipe, but am not sure about baking the seafood for 40 minutes (overcooking) - any ideas on that?  Maybe cooking separately with spices and adding at the end?


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## Andy M.

You could mix in the fish with 5-10 minutes of cooking time left.


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## ChefJune

pot clanger said:


> First off, I'm hungry, so everything sounds so good... kind of a problem right now!
> 
> I would like to add the shrimp & tilapia to the Chef Paul recipe, but am not sure about baking the seafood for 40 minutes (overcooking) - any ideas on that? Maybe cooking separately with spices and adding at the end?


 
after baking for 40 minutes, your shrimp would be rubber, and the tilapia would be mush.


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## pot clanger

*roger that...*

Add fish at the end - sounds like a plan - thanks everyone for helping me figure it out!


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## Uncle Bob

pot clanger said:
			
		

> jambalaya is supposed to be cooked WITH the rice, not served OVER rice, as I had originally thought...


 
Jambalaya *IS* rice cooked in a pot along with a various meats, poultry, shellfish, and vegetables including onions, peppers, somtimes tomatoes along with various spices etc.


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## Adillo303

OK - It's been a while, but this sounds very similar to Paiella (sp).

Are they similar dishes, or has memory failed me.

AC

And what differentiates this from Gumbo? I think I know, but, while being dumb, do the whole magilla.


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## Andy M.

The seasonings are substantially different.  Jambalaya does not include saffron.


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## Uncle Bob

It is common belief that jambalaya had it's origins from the Spanish dish Paella.

Think of gumbo as a type of soup...be it thick or thin


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## giggler

Google "The Gumbo Pages"...

More about  gumbo and all than you've ever seen!

Eric, Austin Tx.


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## pot clanger

My memory has been officially jogged...  gumbo = soupy, jambalaya = rice.  

I fooled around with the 2 recipes suggested (thanks, Andy M & grilling fool!). 

Used andouille sausage as well as polska kielbasa, doubled (or there-abouts) the celery/onion/garlic, added more rice (kept broth amount the same), more spices & Tabasco! omitted the fish but went for shrimp (sauteed with garlic and added at the end), cooked for the 40 minutes suggested but stirred it up as to get more "crunchy" rice bits and put back in oven for another 20 (there was a bit of liquid/broth left).... yum!  All went well - thanks again!


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## VeraBlue

Gumbo is more soup/stew like, depending on which type of recipe you use or who you are talking to.  Gumbo is like meatballs...everyone has their own recipe and some will fight you over it. 

Jambalaya which translates to ham/rice, is a drier dish of sauteed vegetables with ham, spicy sausage and chicken.  Other ingredients could be added like duck, for instance.  

Read 'Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table' by Sara Rohan if you want to get a magnificent tutorial regarding all the specialities of New Orleans.


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## VeraBlue

Uncle Bob said:


> It is common belief that jambalaya had it's origins from the Spanish dish Paella.
> 
> Think of gumbo as a type of soup...be it thick or thin


 
Jambalaya literally translates from an african language  and french to mean ham (jambon) and rice (yaya). I lean more in the direction of slaves creating jamblalaya.


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## Constance

This article tells you all about jambalaya. be sure to read the whole page...it's quite interesting.

jambalaya: Definition and Much More from Answers.com


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## VeraBlue

Read the article....it leans towards the spanish paella theory.  I've always read more theories leaning towards slaves from africa.
Like any gumbo or jambalaya, it's origins are mixed and muddled.


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## Uncle Bob

It is a commonly held belief among many historians that Jambalaya, the *dish*, had it’s origin in and from the Spanish dish Paella. Its Spanish origin has nothing to do with the etymology of its name. 
 
The origin of the *name* Jambalaya itself is shrouded in some mystery. Two of the three syllables are French in origin, namely jambon (ham) and a la (in the style of) with the third thought to be African in origin, ya (rice). Jambalaya is a New World creation connected to the Old World through the Spanish dish paella, with its name basically being French in origin. Any idea of African influence into the dish’s creation would be conjecture and speculation.


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## VeraBlue

Uncle Bob said:


> It is a commonly held belief among many historians that Jambalaya, the *dish*, had it’s origin in and from the Spanish dish Paella. Its Spanish origin has nothing to do with the etymology of its name.
> 
> The origin of the *name* Jambalaya itself is shrouded in some mystery. Two of the three syllables are French in origin, namely jambon (ham) and a la (in the style of) with the third thought to be African in origin, ya (rice). Jambalaya is a New World creation connected to the Old World through the Spanish dish paella, with its name basically being French in origin. Any idea of African influence into the dish’s creation would be conjecture and speculation.



This entire nation was created on conjecture and speculation!  Cheers to our forefathers!  But on the issue of jambalaya, I'll cede most of the point to you.


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## JillBurgh

Interesting facts here, thanks for the lessons Bob and Vera.


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## larry_stewart

Does anyone use/ make their own File powder ?


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## Michael in FtW

Louisiana has a very unique history (exploration, occupation, settlement) - and it's history is reflected in it's food.

Rustic country cooking is usually attributed to the Acadian French who migrated down from Canada to Louisiana - the Cajuns. The most prevalent "city" style of cooking in New Orleans is Creole - a blend of European French, Spanish, African - with some Cajun and Native American influences (guess there is a minor touch of British, too) ... to one degree or another. I don't think many Creole dishes can be linked to just one source/origin. 

Now, before someone jumps on me for saying Cajun cooking is rustinc country cooking ... I never said it was unsophisticated. Look at Chef Paul Prudhomme's family's cookbook. The ingredients may be simple - properly executing the dish can be somewhat of a challenge. 

I will agree that jambalaya is a dish where the rice is cooked in it, although I have eaten in a couple of places where it was cooked and served separately (served on top of the rice) - one place was in Jacksonville, FL and I think the other was Houston, TX. Gumbo can range from a soup to a stew ... usually served over rice .. but I have had it served as a soup without rice or with the rice as a side dish.

We could have a similar debate over the origin and authentic ingredients in Brunswick Stew.


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## Uncle Bob

larry_stewart said:


> Does anyone use/ make their own File powder ?


 

I've made it before Larry...A year or so ago. It was good, but to much sugar for a dime! The stuff is so cheap to buy....I just buy it!


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## Uncle Bob

Michael in FtW said:
			
		

> I have eaten in a couple of places where it was cooked and served separately (served on top of the rice)


 
 This reminds me of the "peach cobbler" I ate once in SW Mississippi...Canned peaches served over a baked canned biscuit with a scoop of ice cream Peach Cobbler??? That's what the menu said!!


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## ChefJune

Uncle Bob said:


> This reminds me of the "peach cobbler" I ate once in SW Mississippi...Canned peaches served over a baked canned biscuit with a scoop of ice cream Peach Cobbler??? That's what the menu said!!



That's SAD!


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## frozen drink

Most of the peoples always confused by the different of Jambalaya and Gumbo.

Well, it is easy to differential them...

The Gumbo has a very obvious ingredient where the Jambalaya doesn't have and it is named "filé" which it's powdered sassafrass leaves.


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## Andy M.

Many gumbos contain no file powder.  

One is a thick soup or a stew, while the other is a rice and meat/poultry/fish dish.


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## black chef

i've got a contest-winning gumbo recipe that i'd love to share with you folks.

unfortunately, it's too hot down here to even THINK about cooking a pot of gumbo.

*runs off to find the recipe...


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## Michael in FtW

This is really funny - I've eaten gumbos and jambalayas and etoufees all my life (well, since I started eating solid food when we lived in New Orleans - along with boiled shrimp, crab and crawfish) and made them for 35 years or so - but never really thought about the differences. I just knew what they were - never tried to different what they were in terms.

I totally agree with Andy M. - filé is not a mandatory ingredient for gumbo. 

The difference is that Jambalaya is a rice dish - probably a Creole adaptation of paella using locally available ingredients. Read Chef John Folse's comments here. Supports most of what VeraBlue and Uncle Bob said about it's origin. 

Gumbo - a thick savory soup or stew - usually starting with a roux (Jambalaya doesn't) for both thickening and flavor (the darker the roux the more flavor). I have run across a couple of recipes where the roux is added at the end .... but every gumbo recipe I have seen includes a roux somewhere. Reminds me of Justin Wilson's mantra ... "First you make a roux."

Now, I like Chef Paul, and I love eating at K-Paul's - but I hate that you have to buy his "magic" this or that seasoning to make anything following the recipes on his website. Maybe that is why I like his "Prudhomme Family Cookbook" the best?

Here are some recipe options from Chef John D. Folse - another Cajun chef. Click on "soups" for gumbo recipes, click on "meats" for jambalaya recipes. Click on anything for delicious ideas. And, you don't have to buy any propritery spice blends to make them. And, they are more like what Uncle Glenn and Aunt Margaret used to make ... and Uncle Glenn is a back woods card carrying Coon-A ....

*Laisez les bons temps rouler!*


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## GrillingFool

Here's a few Cajun recipes too....

A Cajun Family's Recipe Collection


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## Andy M.

Michael in FtW said:


> ...Now, I like Chef Paul, and I love eating at K-Paul's - but I hate that you have to buy his "magic" this or that seasoning to make anything following the recipes on his website. Maybe that is why I like his "Prudhomme Family Cookbook" the best?...


 

I found a 1980s version of his Louisiana Kitchen cookbook at a flea market and his recipes list the individual spices.  I prefer to mix my own as well.


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