Jambalaya

Jambalaya

by | Sunday, 02 June 2013 | Big Noms

My kitchen is a happiest when there’s something spicy going down in it. I actually don’t think there’s much that Hubby and I cook that doesn’t involve some sort of spice, whether it’s of the fragrant variety or the heated.  This delicious recipe is full of both, and while it may look like quite the longest ingredients list don’t be put off by that as you can premix the dry spices ahead of cooking so it really isn’t as complicated as it might look, and the end result is well worth it.

A bit like the questionable authenticity of my Fish Creole, this jambalaya is more “Creole” than Cajun (it’s a tomato, or lack of, thing apparently!) and one of my favourite suppers that Hubby makes.  That said… it’s never quite the same twice because Hubby just can’t leave well enough alone, bless.  So this version is a foodie snapshot of how he makes it now. It’s not quite the way he made it six months ago, and no doubt it won’t be quite the way he makes it six months from now, but it is always delicious no matter how much he tinkers with it 🙂

You can make this with any combo of prawn, chicken, smoked sausage, ham hock or chorizo.  Hubby tends to go with two, three max, one of which is inevitably chorizo – it just adds another layer of flavour that compliments the paprika in the dry spice mix.  Fresh chorizo is okay but it has to be really good quality otherwise dried is better, just remember to peel off the tough outer layer of skin if you’re using dried chorizo before cooking with it.

Hubby eats this with potato salad… for seriously… He swears it’s a recognised accompaniment, and a quick Google seems to back him up, but that’s just one carb too many for me (something Hubby never thought he’d hear me say!).  I like to give mine a good squeeze of lemon all over instead, the sourness is a lovely counter balance to the spiciness of the Jambalaya.

As to why I like this quite as much as I do?  There’s lots of rice, which is always made of win in my book, the flavours are crazy intense, and it reheats really nicely the next day, which is just as well as there’s always tons of leftovers!

Jambalaya
Serves 4
A comforting bowl of rice, creole style, full of spice and all things nice.
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 20 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 20 min
Stuff you’ll need…
  1. 1 red onion, diced
  2. 1 white onion, diced
  3. 1 green pepper, diced
  4. 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
  5. 2 dried chorizo sausages, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
  6. 1 package smoked sausage, cut into bitet-sized pieces
  7. 1 can tomatoes
  8. 2 tbsps tomato ketchup
  9. 2 tsps dark soy
  10. 1 tsp fish sauce, more to taste
  11. a few dashes of Maggi liquid seasoning (optional)
  12. a drizzle of Ketjap manis (optional)
  13. 1 beef stock pot/cube dissolved in 2 pints boiling water
  14. additional water to top up
  15. 1.5 cups long-grain rice
  16. 1/2 tsp garlic granules
  17. 1/2 tsp onion granules
  18. 1/2 tsp thyme
  19. 1/2 tsp oregano
  20. 1/2 tsp chilli powder (mild)
  21. 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  22. 1/4 tsp celery salt
  23. 1 tsp ground coriander
  24. 1 tsp heaped smoked sweet paprika
  25. 1 1/2 tsp sugar
  26. salt & pepper to season
  27. Plus oil to cook
  28. Lemon wedges and/or potato salad to serve
Cook!
  1. Heat a drizzle of oil in the stewpot on a medium heat and cook the chorizo until lightly coloured. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Do not drain the oil from the stewpot.
  2. Add a bit more oil to the stewpot and bring back up to medium heat. Add the onions and peppers, lightly salt and stir to coat for about a minute. Turn the heat down and continue to cook gently for about ten minutes, stirring occassionally.
  3. Turn the heat up again and add the smoked sausage to the onion and pepper mix and cook for a few minutes before adding the garlic. Stir well before adding the tomatoes, dry spice mix, ketchup, soy and fish sauce. Stir again.
  4. Next, tip in the rice and mix well. Cover with the beef stock, stir, and add a bit more water to top up if need be. You don’t want it too wet, but it needs to have enough liquid to cook the rice.
  5. Bring everything to a boil before covering and reducing the heat until you’ve got a low simmer. Leave for 30-45 minutes, stirring after the first ten minutes. You may need to scrape the bottom to free any stuck bits of rice but this is ok, the caramelised bits of rice just add to the flavour mix.
  6. Stir every twenty minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is moist and tender. Serve hot.
fifigoesnom https://www.fifigoesnom.com/
Chorizo pasta, with lashings of cherry tomatoes and rocket

Chorizo pasta, with lashings of cherry tomatoes and rocket

by | Thursday, 12 April 2012 | Big Noms

Before I got married this was my go to dish at least twice a week (ok, maybe three times a week… don’t judge me!).  You could be forgiven for thinking it was because it’s so easy to make – I swear it takes longer to clean up afterwards than it takes to make it – and you’d be partly right.  But the fact that it’s insanely tasty and, with the abundance of cherry tomatoes and rocket, really fresh is what elevates it from just ‘an easy supper’ to a ‘a delicious and easy supper’!  And whenever Hubby goes back to the States without me, my tastebuds revert back to singleton status and it’s pretty much guaranteed that I’ll be getting stuck into a bowl of this before his plane has even reached the Atlantic!

Green and red pesto both work with this dish (Hubby prefers red).  I also tend to use the whole packet of rocket for two people, but that’s only because I love rocket (I am reliably informed that in America it’s called arugula). And if there are any leftovers (big big if in my household!) this is good cold, like a pasta salad, for lunch the next day.

I would love to credit this properly but I can’t for the life of me remember which foodie mag I found it in I’m afraid, but it’s so easy to throw together that there really wasn’t any need to hold onto the recipe.

By the way, please bear with me as I practice my food photography…  Today’s attempt is brought to you by Super Macro and standing really close to the counter 🙂

Chorizo Pasta with Lashings of Cherry Tomatoes and Rocket
Serves 2
My go-to pasta dish. It's quick and SO tasty, serving up taste well beyond the effort it takes to make.
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
You’ll need
  1. 1 whole Chorizo sausage (The dried kind. This recipe uses the big U-shaped ones, so use two if you’re getting the smaller links).
  2. 1 pack Cherry tomatoes, halved
  3. 1/2 packet of Rocket
  4. 1 1/2 tbsp Pesto
  5. Balsamic vinegar
  6. Olive oil for cooking
  7. Penne or Fusili pasta
  8. Salt for seasoning
Cook!
  1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water up to boiling before adding your pasta to it. Set the timer according to the pasta’s instructions and cook until al dente (usually around 10 minutes).
  2. While the pasta is cooking, halve the cherry tomatoes and cut the chorizo into bite-sized pieces – I usually slice into pound coin sized pieces and then halve them again. Don’t forget to peel the chorizo casing off first! if you don’t it’s still edible, but a little chewier than it should be (says the voice of experience…)
  3. When the pasta has cooked, drain it and set to one side. In the same saucepan, heat the oil and brown the chorizo for 1 or 2 minutes.
  4. Then add the cherry tomatoes for about 1 minute, or until the skin is just beginning to break, before sloshing in a generous slug of balsamic vinegar and salt to season.
  5. Next add the cooked pasta and the pesto, and stir it all up until the pasta is well coated in everything.
  6. Finally, turn off the heat and add the rocket, stirring it all up again, and let the heat of the dish wilt the rocket a little before serving it up.
Adapted from ... some foodie mag, from long ago.
Adapted from ... some foodie mag, from long ago.
fifigoesnom https://www.fifigoesnom.com/