I'm not sure if you watched the FoodTV program Throwdown last night, but
Bobby Flay got his ass kicked trying to cook jambalaya in New Orleans. The premise of the show pits
Flay in cooking challenges against "experts" in cooking certain dishes. In the first show, the challenge was steak,
and subsequent "throwdowns" have included pizza and wedding cakes (not in the same show, of course). In this
episode, he traveled to New Orleans to challenge Emile Stieffel, a local jambalaya expert.
Flay did plenty of research about jambalaya and since his competitor cooked
a brown Cajun version, he decided on a Creole version using tomatoes, lobster, mussels, crabmeat and chorizo. Is that
jambalaya? My first thought was that Flay was making a paella, but that's probably where jambalaya originated anyway.
Stieffel made a traditional chicken and sausage jambalaya in a large cast iron pot, and it looked delicious!
I've been cooking a lot of jambalaya lately, even venturing into pork jambalaya, and I've realized that it is an art; one
that takes time to perfect. Flay's recipe and Stieffel's recipe are both available on the food network website. I suggest you copy them
to your hard drive before they disappear. I won't give away the ending of the show; you'll have to watch it to find
out the results. Let's just say that Bobby Flay has a long way to go before he serves his jambalaya (or paella)
to paying customers.
Regardless of what anyone says, I like Bobby Flay. Sure, he's kind
of a cocky guy, but I admire his confidence about food and cooking. He likes good food and he cooks it well; he's
been an influence in my cooking styles. The show has also been bashed quite a bit because people think that a "brand-name"
chef with a full staff is showing up to pick on the little guy (the home town hero). Truth is, that Flay is not picking
on anyone. I think the show has done a great job giving exposure to regular people who like to cook. Flay is pretty
gracious in his defeats, and he's always interested in learning from the hometown experts. It's a good show. I
can't say enough about the Food Network and their positive press about the food of New Orleans. Food TV is a public
relations machine, and I'm happy they've spent so much time in their coverage of NOLA food. Though I am still losing
interest in the Food Network and their programs are becoming mind numbing to watch, I wanted to thank them, along with Emeril.
You may have noticed, but I recently added a new section to the
site called "Louisiana Foods and Recipes." I began this section because I feel like there are people spread
out all over the country who are lacking in the resources to re-create the home-cooking that they are accustomed to.
People who took Monday red beans and rice for granted in New Orleans now have to cook their own in Omaha, Nebraska or Dallas,
Texas. Over time, this site will also become a resource for history, stories and recipes of traditional Creole
and Cajun cooking. Got something to contribute? Send it to me. I am still working on each of the sections
as well as the recipes. Really, how many of you have written down your gumbo recipe? These are things that we
normally take for granted... they take time.
Thank you for all of your support!
