Mardi Gras with a smoky zing

In the great tradition of Louisiana's improvisational cooking, jambalaya varies widely from pot to pot. There's usually some pork in there - after all, the root of the name is jambon, for ham. And ya is an African word for rice, the grain that defines the paella-like dish.

But after those basics (and even they are subject to change), jambalaya is wide-open to a surprising variety of interpretations.

In New Orleans, where it's a staple in both the tourist restaurants of Bourbon Street and the porch-side crawfish boils of locals Uptown, it inevitably comes with a tomatoey red blush.

Farther west in the bayous and prairies of Cajun country, this hearty one-pot feast takes on a decidedly earthier brown cast, a deeper spice, and plenty of smoked meat.

To me, nothing defines the flavor of an authentic jambalaya quite like the smokehouse zing of real Cajun andouille. So if I'm bothering to ship in the genuine item for my Mardi Gras table (costly, but not hard - see mail-order sources below), I'll naturally lean toward a browner hue.

But the details and choices remain infinitely variable. Chicken stock or beef stock? Do I add tasso, fresh sausage, ground meat, or shrimp? How about oysters? And what about the spice? The choice is ultimately up to the cook.

Commercial seasoning blends are readily available. But I was drawn to this recipe from chef John Besh's new book, My New Orleans: The Cookbook (Andrews McMeel, 2009, $45), because it offers a more vivid homemade blend aromatic with smoked paprika, celery salt, dried thyme, and cayenne, of course.

My rendition, naturally, took its own twists. I halved the recipe to be Dutch oven-friendly. The original is so large it calls for a five-gallon cast-iron pot and a spade for stirring (not to mention a log fire to cook it on). I dialed back the cayenne by about half for my neighbors' Northern palates, did away with the extra fat of suggested bacon, "lightening" it up with rendered goose fat (saved from our holiday bird) instead of lard. Our batch needed an extra cup of stock to keep the rice from getting crunchy, and I also added a last-minute splash of P.B.R. (Pabst Blue Ribbon) to the caramelizing onions to keep the bottom of the pot from burning. Tasted great, too!

With a full complement of meats from two outstanding Louisiana butchers, the Best Stop Supermarket in Scott (still my favorite) and Jacob's in Laplace (Besh's favorite), I really couldn't go wrong.

Feel free to add your own flourishes in the spirit of the dish. But I can say this: my Saints-inspired jambalaya beat the pants off some Indiana-bred meatballs on a buffet table at a Super Bowl party test run. So this recipe is definitely ready to roll for this year's Mardi Gras celebration.

nolead begins

The Best Stop Supermarket, 615 Highway 93 N., Scott, La., 337-233-5805; www.thebeststopsupermarket.com/.

Jacob's World Famous Andouille, 505 W. Airline, Laplace., La., 985-652-9080; www.cajunsausage.com.

The Cajun Grocer (for meats, crawfish, turduckens, king cakes, and other Louisiana pantry supplies), 1-888-272-9347; cajungrocer.com.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

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2-2 1/2 pounds smoked and spiced Cajun andouille sausage, diced (ideally, a mix of meats, including tasso ham, hot sausage, or even bacon – but the andouille should dominate)

1/2 cup fat (duck fat or lard preferable)

5 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, diced

2 large onions, diced

1/2 can Pabst Blue Ribbon

2 green bell peppers, diced

4 stalks celery, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 dried bay leaves

1 1/2 tablespoons pimenton de la Vera or smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon salt

4 cups American long-grain rice, rinsed twice to remove some starch and  well drained

4 cups chicken stock

3 cups canned crushed  tomatoes

2 pounds medium shrimp,  peeled and deveined  (optional)

1½ bunches scallions,  chopped

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1. Place a large pot over medium heat (an eight-quart Dutch oven or cast-iron pot is ideal), add sausages and half the fat, stirring slowly to render and brown, about 10 minutes. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Remove sausages, set aside. Then add chicken to pan and stir occasionally, about five minutes. When lightly browned, remove chicken, add to sausage mix.

2. Add onions to the pan, adding half of the remaining fat. Cook until a deeply caramelized brown, about 15 minutes. Toward the end of browning onions, add beer and stir to loosen and dissolve any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add remaining fat, peppers, celery, and garlic and cook for an additional five minutes.

3. Return meat to the pan and incorporate with vegetables. Add in thyme, bay, paprika, cayenne, and celery salt, and stir carefully to mix evenly. Let cook for three minutes. Add rice and stir to incorporate.

4. Increase heat to high, add the chicken stock and tomatoes to the pot. Stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

5. While rice is cooking, season shrimp with salt and pepper. After rice has simmered 15 minutes, remove lid and fold in the shrimp and scallions. Turn off the heat, cover, and let pot continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes. Remove lid, fluff, and serve.

Per serving (based on 10, without shrimp): 798 calories, 32 grams protein, 73 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams sugar, 40 grams fat, 131 milligrams cholesterol, 2,258 milligrams sodium, 4 grams dietary fiber.

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