Posted on: November 25, 2009

Born on the Bayou

Cajun style delivers jumbo flavor for low cost

By Bev Bennett
CTW Features

Take meal inspiration from a region where the locals feast well but frugally.

Louisiana’s famed Cajun dishes are flavorful, colorful and bountiful. Cajun cooking, born from Southern and French cuisines, calls for a generous hand with herbs and spices, well-cooked vegetables, abundant rice and a respect for seasonal ingredients.

“Cajun food has always been very economical,” says Donald Link, chef-owner of Herbsaint and Cochon restaurants in New Orleans.

Link recalls his grandfather, who often cooked for family and friends, stretching a meal of collard greens and pigs’ feet to serve 20.

“You can still pick up pigs’ feet for nothing,” says Link, author of “Real Cajun” (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2009).

Resourcefulness is a hallmark of Cajun cooks, according to the chef.

Taking a cheap cut of meat, whether it’s pork or chicken, and transforming it into a stellar dish is a source of pride. Pork shoulder is one of Link’s favorites.

“Talk about a cheap way to feed a lot of people,” he says.

Pork is also the base for sausage, which Link uses in jambalaya and gumbo.

Leftovers never go to waste.

“When you cook all the time you use leftovers. When you have roast chicken you take the scraps, put them back into the pot and make a stock immediately. You have a flavor base and proteins for another dish,” says Link.

The following recipe for Sausage Jambalaya is adapted from Link’s book. It’s a delightful blend of spicy sausage, vegetables and the all-essential rice.

“You don’t go into the kitchen without turning on the rice cooker. It doesn’t happen in Louisiana,” Link says.

Sausage Jambalaya

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped

1 celery rib, trimmed and chopped

1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small red onion, chopped

1 (9-ounce) package (cooked) andouille sausage links, sliced 1/2-inch thick

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/2 teaspoon crushed, dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed, dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 bay leaf

11/2 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup long-grain rice

Heat oil in very large skillet. Add bell pepper, celery, garlic and onion. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sausage and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently or until sausage is lightly browned. Stir in salt, oregano, thyme, pepper and bay leaf. Add broth, stirring up browned bits in bottom of skillet. Bring broth to a boil. Stir in rice. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes for flavors to blend. Remove bay leaf before serving. Makes 4 servings.

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Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"

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