A right tasty Creole one-pot-dish with sausage, shrimp and rice
A hearty, warming and tasty meal-in-a-pot. Traditionally you'd use andouille sausage, but chorizo is an acceptable alternative. This version has shrimp, but you could easily use chicken, pork or whatever meat you have to hand. Vegetarians & vegans could obviously cut out the sausage and shrimp, but you're really then moving to a different dish altogether. I might try something vegan based on jambalaya at a later date.
INGREDIENTS
green pepper (I had a red one)
celery
onion or shallots
garlic
chorizo
bouquet garni (bay leaves, thyme, rosemary & sage - tied up in a muslin bag)
prawns (shrimp) - uncooked. If you only have cooked - as I did - add them later
fresh coriander (this is NOT typical of jambalaya, but I had a bunch that was going off - best used!)
cayenne
long grain rice (I had paella rice)
Watch the video
METHOD
Finely chop the onion, pepper and celery - the "holy trinity" of Cajun cookery
Chop up the garlic
Slice the chorizo quite thickly
Heat oil in a pot and add the chorizo
Cook the sausage slowly until it colours the oil
Heat a tablespoon or so of oil in a frying pan
Add the chopped veg & garlic
Stir it through and let it soften - about 10-15 minutes
Add about 700ml of fish stock - if you're using chicken or pork - use a different stock
Add the bouquet garni, lots of black pepper and lots of cayenne (not so lots if you like it a bit milder)
Add the uncooked prawns - cooked prawns we'll add later
Bring the stock to the boil, add the rice and stir it through
Bring it back to the boil, then turn it down to a simmer
Cover and simmer for 10 minutes
At this point, add the fresh coriander - if you're using it, and - if you only have cooked prawns, add them now as well
Turn off the heat, cover and leave for a further 20 minutes
Remember to remove the bouquet garni before serving...