Fred Mace
HAM JAMBALAYA
Wash thoroughly, in several waters, two cups of rice. In a large tablespoonful of hot lard, brown one small onion, chopped fine, quarter of a pound of ham cut in small pieces and a small can of tomato paste. Add the raw rice and cook for about five minutes in water sufficient to cover well.
Season with a finely minced clove of garlic, thyme, one bay leaf, salt, pepper and paprika.
When the water is boiled down low, set on a very slow fire and let steam until cooked, closely covered. In stirring always use a fork. This will serve six persons.
A straightforward Creole rice dish, though the title promises shrimp that the instructions never deliver. The method is sound; only the vessel, the fat and the water quantity need translation.
- The missing shrimpDespite the name, no shrimp appear in the ingredient list — either an editorial slip or a lost line. If you want them, add a half pound of peeled raw shrimp in the last three to four minutes of steaming, when the rice is nearly done, and they will cook through without turning to rubber.
- Water "sufficient to cover well"Genuinely ambiguous, and it matters here. For two cups of long-grain rice, start with three cups of liquid; the tomato paste and ham add moisture, so err low rather than high and add a splash if the rice is still chalky.
- Tomato paste, then and nowA "small can" of the period was probably in the region of six ounces, though tin sizes varied and it is not clear how its concentration compared with today's double-concentrate paste. Start with about two tablespoons of modern paste, browned in the fat until it darkens, and judge the colour and depth from there.
- LardUse lard if you have it — it browns the ham and onion better than butter and will not scorch. Bacon fat or a neutral oil substitutes without complaint.
- The hamA quarter pound of dry-cured or smoked ham, diced small, is what is meant. It is the salt source as much as the meat, so hold back on added salt until the rice has absorbed the liquid and you can taste it.
- "A very slow fire," closely coveredThe hinge of the dish. Once the liquid has cooked down to the level of the rice, drop to the lowest heat, clamp the lid on and leave it for 15 to 20 minutes without lifting. A heavy pot with a tight lid does this best; a thin pan will scorch the bottom layer.
- Stir with a forkNot fussiness. A spoon crushes the grains and releases starch, which is exactly how jambalaya turns to porridge. A fork lifts and separates.
- YieldSix as written, as a main course with nothing more than a green salad.
Jambalaya belongs to the Louisiana family of one-pot rice dishes in which the rice cooks in a seasoned, tomato-tinted liquid rather than being boiled separately and dressed — a technique usually traced to Spanish and West African rice cookery meeting in New Orleans, with the name most often connected to jamón or to Provençal jambalaia, though neither derivation is settled. Ham, shrimp, oysters or chicken went in when they were to hand, which is why the ingredient list of any given jambalaya recipe tells you mostly about the cook's larder. This one comes from a celebrity-contribution cookbook of the silent-film era; Fred Mace was a Keystone comedian, and the dish appears there as a regional Creole dish under a slightly garbled title.