Pastalaya – a jambalaya twist – still seasoned with love

Often when I speak to people from around the country about my love for cooking authentic Cajun dishes, they immediately say, “Oh, I just love the food in New Orleans!”

People from the Acadiana region of Southern Louisiana often cringe when we hear that. Most folks from our region do not consider New Orleans style food to be Cajun, but Creole. The term Acadiana (a-KAY-dee-anna) can be traced to the 1700s as a region of southern Louisiana that was settled by the Acadians, who were exiled from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick Canada.

Dishes from the Acadiana region are often cooked over several hours, with music in the background and adult beverage in hand. Many of us Cajuns were taught to cook by someone near and dear to us as we were growing up. For me, it was my Maw Maw Duke (my dad’s mother) and my dad. Maw Maw Duke could make phenomenal authentic gravy-based dishes, and my dad had the ability to scale recipes to feed exceptionally large numbers.

A dish familiar to many around the country is jambalaya, which has both Cajun and Creole roots. The Cajuns often prepared this dish because it could feed many people at little cost. Most ingredients were grown, raised, or harvested from the bounty of the land, rivers, or tributaries in the areas where the Cajuns settled.

Over the last 10 to 15 years, pastalaya has become a popular dish in Acadiana. Although its origin is not well documented, it is a twist on the traditional Louisiana dish jambalaya. The only major difference is that pasta is used instead of rice. I often get jabs by friends and family members who are rice farmers for this.

I suspect that the ease of cooking pastalaya is part of its popularity. Jambalaya, especially in lovelarge quantities, can be both intimidating and challenging even for experienced cooks. I have seen many big pots of jambalaya ruined by either undercooking or overcooking the rice. Pastalaya, in my opinion, is more forgiving.

Because jambalaya has been the go-to dish for so long, people often ask if I can do something that is cost effective but still feeds lots of folks with ease. When I mention pastalaya, they immediately like the idea. It is different and still cost effective.

I find kids and young adults prefer pastalaya over jambalaya. My family and I, through our nonprofit Holy Trinity Catering, can often be found feeding the Catholic college students who are part of the FOCUS program as well as kids who are attending other Catholic school retreats in South Louisiana. We’ve also fed hundreds to thousands of people affected by natural disasters.

S. CRAIG HENRY is a founding charter member of the Lafayette-Acadiana Chapter. He won the Legatus 2020 Ambassador of the Year award for his work through his family’s nonprofit organization, Holy Trinity Catering.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. pork meat, cubed
1 lb. smoked sausage,
cut into coin-sized pieces
1 large bell pepper, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 lb. penne pasta
1-1/2 qts. chicken stock
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 tbsp. Holy Trinity Catering
All Purpose Seasoning

Preparation:

Season pork with two tbsp. All-Purpose Seasoning.
Add sausage, pork, and vegetable oil to a large heavy-bottom pot and cook over medium high heat until the sausage and meat are well browned (about 5-10 min.).

Add vegetables and sauté until heated through (3-5 minutes).

Deglaze the bottom of the pot with 1/2 cup of the stock and add the remaining seasoning.

Add remaining stock and bring to a rolling boil. Turn down to medium simmer, cover, and cook for 20-25 mins.

Add pasta. Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat to medium-high. As soon as the pot reaches a boil, stir briefly, replace the lid, turn the heat down to low, and let the pot simmer for 10-12 min. or until the pasta is tender.