The Holy Trinity, in culinary terms, is the trio of aromatics that is the foundation of flavor in many regional cuisines.
New Orleans is no exception. Onions, bell peppers and celery, lovingly referred to as the Creole Trinity, are essential ingredients to countless stews, soups and roasts.
The French call it Mirepoix, consisting of onions, carrots and celery. The Spanish have their Sofrito, which is garlic, onions and tomatoes. And then there’s the Italian’s, we call this Holy Trinity either a Soffritto (with 2 t’s) or Battuto.
I have always thought this to be onions, carrots and garlic, others say it’s onions, celery and garlic. I guess it depends on which Italian cook you ask. All I know is that it’s the combination of the aromatics that gets the party started!
From crab shacks, po-boy stands and trendy bistro’s to Galatoire’s and Antoine’s (the oldest restaurant in the French Quarter), the Big Easy serves up comfort food in a big way. And comfort is what you’re going to get when you dive into my jambalaya. It’s a one-pot meal, easy to prepare and worthy of company. In fact, it’s one of my most requested ‘company’ meals.
It is truly a culinary carnival … with or without the parade.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 pound butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 1/2 cups green bell peppers, diced
- 1 pound Andouille sausage
- 2 pounds chicken
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 or 2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 cups uncooked rice
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon scant cayenne pepper
Melt the butter.
Brown the Creole Trinity (onions, celery and bell peppers)
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, spices and garlic. Stir and cook 5 minutes.
Add Andouille (I usually chop the sausage, but you could slice into larger pieces if you prefer). If you don’t have Andouille, you can substitute Kielbasa.
Andouille is a spiced and heavily smoked pork sausage. It’s seasoned with salt, cracked black pepper and garlic. Next it’s smoked over pecan wood and sugar cane for up to eight hours. It really does give a special flavor to this dish and worth searching out.
Add chicken cut into one-inch pieces.
Add broth and rice. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook 30 minutes or so, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
This is yummy right out of the pot, but even better the next day. When reheating, add a bit of broth.
This really is a culinary carnival of flavors. Enjoy!
