The 'trinity' of New Orleans-style cooking: bell pepper, onion and celery.
With fall creeping up on us and that nip in the air at night, it is natural for us to think of those great comfort foods.
There are a lot of pluses in doing a dish like jambalaya.
One is that it is a meal that can be served individually or placed on a platter in the middle of your table and served family-style.
Another plus is that you can add whatever you want to it. Some like chicken in it, and you can certainly add shellfish such as mussels, clams and oysters, if you prefer.
As you can see, the combinations are endless. Only your ability to use your imagination limits this type of dish.
In the South, they like to serve it with a good sweet French bread and a hearty red wine.
I recommend a zinfandel such as Seghesio from Dry Creek, which is a very nice, moderately priced wine with good tannins to hold up to the spiciness of the jambalaya.
So as not to overcook the shellfish, one of the things I do when making this dish is to cook the rice separately then add it, rather than the traditional method of putting the raw rice in and cooking the whole stew together.
I feel this process has a tendency to overcook the shellfish. This is strictly a personal choice.
My cheese selection for this month is an English stilton, an English-style bleu cheese. It is made from a full-cream cow's milk and has a flavor which is full, rich and creamy. It reveals layers and folds of flavors of honey, tobacco and molasses.
This cheese is wonderful with the great tart apples we are getting from our trees here in Carson City this year.
As always enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
Charlie Abowd is the owner and chef at Adele's. He and his wife, Karen, have lived in Carson City for 22 years. Charlie is a fourth-generation restaurateur.
