The holy trinity of Creole and Cajun cooking is bell pepper, onions and celery. Add to these spicy chorizo sausage and rice and you have a wonderfully name jambalaya. The beauty of jambalaya is that it’s great at using up leftovers and it’s also a one pot meal, with vegetables mixed in with meat and rice.
Serves 4.
Ingredients
- 450g leftover chicken or turkey
- 75g chorizo or smoked sausage, thinly sliced
- 175g long-grain basmati rice
- 400ml stock, include leftover gravy
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 3 sticks of celery, chopped
- 2 green peppers, dice
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Heat a large frying pan or casserole over a medium heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and gently cook the onions and celery until softened.
- Then add the peppers and cook for a further couple of minutes, giving the vegetables a good stir.
- Then stir in the leftover chunks of chicken and rice. Add the remaining ingredients, give it a good stir and bring to the boil.
- Cover with a lid. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the rice is cooked through, for about 25 minutes.
- Taste for seasoning and if you like it spicy then add some more spice or hand the hot sauce around the table!
Winter comfort recipes prepared by Philippa Vine using the Ironheart wood-fired cooking stove at Bluebell Farmhouse Kitchen and Cookery School in East Sussex.
