Wolfgang wrote:

[snip to get to the jambalaya]

Turned out pretty good. Chef Jake, at the local Pick 'N Save store (a
genuine in house chef.....used to run his own seafood joint.....whose
presence at the store is a result of it's being forced to go upscale due to
competition from recently opened Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, as well as a
fiercely competitive local chain, Sendik's, and a highly successful food
cooperative, The Outpost) talked me into using "Better Than Bouillon"
lobster base:

http://www.superiortouch.com/btb.htm

I'd used clam juice before with good results, but this was definitely
better. Since this was an unplanned, last minute deal and I was just
cooking for myself, I also used Zatarain's Creole seasoning blend

http://www.zatarains.com/

rather than starting from scratch. Not bad stuff, though high in salt.

So this was a seafood jambalaya? Is it tomato-based? I've never
cooked one of those, but my alltime favorite is Paul Prudhomme's version
done with tasso and andouille. A quick Google search shows this recipe:
http://topchefs.chef2chef.net/recipe...ambalaya.shtml

It's not perfect, as it calls for his "magic seasoning blends", and
while they aren't bad, I prefer mixing up the seasonings from scratch
according to the original recipe. But the basic cooking method and
other ingredients look the same as the recipe I use. (No tomato
products at all in this one.)

If you're interested, I can look for the cookbook and get the
seasonings.


Chuck Vance (thinking it's been too long since I cooked up a mess
o' jambalaya)