Jambalaya with Zinfandel (Kenwood, Jack London Vineyards, 2012)

I was visiting my friends Lauren and Caleb Sommer in Baton Rouge, LA. They were two parts of a jazz quartet that played all over the state. They were celebrating the signing of a new contract with a small record label. I was happy to cook dinner for a small group of their friends. The only problem was that they didn’t have an exact headcount so I chose a dish in which it didn’t matter. I was making Jambalaya and pairing the meal with a Zinfandel. One-dish meals were necessary to have in everyone’s repertoire.

Cooking for the Sommer’s was a sublime experience and one I immediately agreed to do when they called. Baton Rouge was located on the shore of the Mississippi River and their bungalow sat on the marshy waters of a tributary. The smell was organic and changed as the water levels went up and down. They were musicians so music was constantly playing throughout the house. They knew I was a fan of female jazz vocalists so they made a playlist just for me with Billie Holiday, Etta James, Nina Simone and others.

Jambalaya was not an exact science. I chose to make mine “red”, which included throwing in a can of San Marzano tomatoes. I added a couple of lbs of shrimp and chicken that I had pre-grilled. I threw in a couple of foot long links of Andouille sausage before starting with the veggies and spice. I chose whichever vegetables looked best at the market, red bell pepper, onion, okra and celery. I mined 6-8 cloves of garlic into the pot, which contained ¼ cup of olive oil. I had no idea who the guests were so I made it moderately spicy. Parsley, cayenne, salt, pepper, paprika and a few shakes of Tabasco.

“I see you’re working away in here, Sylvia. My salivary glands are hard at work already.”

“This place reminds me how much I love to cook. The atmosphere is perfect, with the natural aromas and I feel lucky to get the opportunity. The jambalaya is ready to be dumped over the Jasmine rice and I made a pan of cornbread to soak up the juices. I opened three bottles of wine but I have plenty on standby.”

“I set out glasses for red because you said we were drinking a Zinfandel, which I hope is still the case.”

“Yes, It’s a bottle from Sonoma which has gone really well with Creole dishes I have made in the past. I hear guests arriving so I’ll give you time to mingle and begin serving when you sit down.”

I waited in the kitchen as I listened to the musicians tuning their instruments. They planned to jam after dinner, which would be a treat. Eventually I heard them sit down, which was my cue to perform. I ladled the hot bubbly jambalaya over the rice and brought it to the table in a large wooden serving dish. It looked like something they picked up during one of their many visits to West Africa.

“Hello, some of you I know and I’m sure I’ll get a chance to meet the rest of you as the evening progresses. I’m Sylvia Sterling and this evening I’ve made red jambalaya that pretty much sticks to tradition. If you prefer more heat, there are some things to accommodate your tastes. Lauren put out an assortment of hot sauces and some peppers in a dish. Proceed with caution before popping a pepper but most of you are from here, therefore accustomed to heat. I’m going to pass the bowl and you can take whatever amount you choose. There’s plenty more where that came from. I’ll be pouring a Zinfandel from Sonoma. It’s a Kenwood from the Jack London Vineyard. Let me know if you want to pass on the wine. I checked out the Sommers’ fridge and they have a vast array of yummy non-alcoholic beverages. Let me know what you think about the wine food pairing.

I waited in the wings, Miles Davis played, and everyone seemed to enjoy their meal. It was time for me to hear what the crowd said about the wine pairing.

Caleb Started. “I’m eating chicken and shrimp and I can’t help but feel like a Sauvignon Blanc would have gone better but I guess I’m no wine expert. I still think that only whites go with seafood and chicken.”

“Sorry honey.” Lauren added. “I love you dearly but you are no wine expert. This jambalaya is tomato based and therefore red is fine. I think pairing red with heavier meat dishes is a rule of thumb they taught us in high school home economics. Since when have we adhered to norms?”

“I agree with you Lauren. This is a perfect match to the spicy jambalaya. The Zinfandel has subtle notes of vanilla that plays off the spice nicely.” Rick the percussionist noted.

“The tannins are well structured and it has a long fish which I enjoy. You’re wrong Caleb.”

I was beginning to feel bad for Caleb as wine tasting was subjective but he took the criticism well. We went through an entire case of the Kenwood Zinfandel and almost everyone had seconds of the jambalaya; I was pleased because empty plates and glasses were the ultimate compliment to the chef. The after dinner jam session was the best part of the meal and I wished that I had thought to record it.