JAMBALAYA

Jambalaya is a rice dish that is highly seasoned and strongly flavored with combinations of beef, pork, poultry, smoked sausage, ham or seafood. It is a very adaptable dish often made from leftovers and ingredients on hand, and thus traditionally a meal for the Cajun rural folks rather than their wealthier town cousins, the Creoles. It is thought that the word "jambalaya" comes from the French word "jambon" mean "ham," the French words "a la," meaning "with" or "in the manner of," and the African word "ya," meaning "rice." Put the words together and they mean "ham with rice." The dish is a takeoff from the Spanish paella and is also amazingly similar to the West African dish called jollof rice. Jambalaya is a one-pot dish - most cooks prefer to cook it in cast-iron pots. In Gonzales, Louisiana, the Jambalaya Festival and World champion Jambalaya cooking Contest is held annually. This event attract participants who have spent years perfecting the art of cooking and seasoning this wonderful stew.

Serves 8-10
80 minutes
385 kcal per serving


Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs
• 4 chicken drumsticks
• Olive oil
• Salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper
• 300 g smoked sausage, e.g. andouille, skin removed, cut into 1 cm thick slices
• 1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
• 4 celery sticks, roughly chopped
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 1-2 fresh chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
• 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 1,5 l chicken stock
• 700 g long-grain rice
• 20 king prawns, peeled
• 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

Method

1. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne.
2. Pour a couple of lugs of oil into a large casserole and brown the chicken pieces and sausage over a medium heat.
3. Once nicely browned on all sides, add the onion, peppers, celery, bay leaves, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Stir, the fry on a medium heat until the vegetables have softened.
5. Add the garlic and chillies, stir around for a minute, then stir in the tinned tomatoes and chicken stock.
6. Bring everything to a boil, then turn the heat down, pop the lid on the pan and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Shred the chicken and remove the chicken bones.
8. Add the rice, give it a good stir, then put the lid on.
9. Let it cook until the rice is cooked.
10. Stir in the prawns and if needed, add enough water to make it a kind of porridgey consistency.
11. Pop the lid back on and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
12. Stir the parsley through and serve!