Here’s my take on deliciously comforting, Jambalaya. This yummy lightly spiced rice dish, is a firm favourite in our house.
I was first introduced to the wonders of Jambalaya by a very special lady called Dorothy. The recipe I use today is based on the recipe that Dorothy gave me. As with many recipes, I’ve slightly jiggled around with it over the years.
Whilst I know that this Jambalaya may not be truly authentic, I feel more reassured that I’m not misleading you, after checking things out with Wikipedia and reading the following:
“The Oxford English Dictionary indicates that jambalaya comes from the Provençal word jambalaia, meaning a mish mash, or mixup, and also meaning a pilaf (pilau) of rice. This is supported by the fact that the first printed appearance of the word is in a Provençal poem published in 1837″.
The Jambalaya I make is not at all complicated to rustle up. Yes, it does take some prep time, but this makes it the perfect thing to make when there’s great music playing on the radio, and you have the luxury of time to enjoy the process.
Ingredients (serves 4)
6 x gluten free Cumberland sausages, each one cut into 4 (you can use any nice fat GF sausages of your choice instead, and add a couple more if you like, I sometimes do)
2 peppers, deseeded, cut into bite size pieces (red, yellow and orange peppers work well)
3 tablespoons vegetable or sunflower oil
1 large brown onion, diced
1 large red onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or grated
250g (9oz) chestnut or white mushrooms, washed, dried and sliced
275g (10oz) *basmati rice, rinsed well
1 level teaspoon *turmeric
1 heaped teaspoon mild *chilli powder (add more to taste, or use a hotter variety – fresh chillies are fab in this too)
1 heaped tablespoon Marigold gluten free vegetable bouillon, dissolved in 700ml boiling water (other GF veg stocks can of course be used instead, but this one is magnificent!)
2 courgettes, washed, halved and sliced
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6/180C Fan.
Place the prepared sausages onto a baking tray and slip them into the oven. Cook for 20 minutes. I turn them halfway through cooking so they brown evenly. You can instead cook the sausages in the pan you’ll be using for the jambalaya. I just sometimes find that they stick, and things can get a little messy.
Place the diced pepper onto a baking tray, drizzled over a tablespoon of veg oil, use your hands to coat the pepper pieces in oil, before popping them into the oven. The peppers and sausages will take the same length of time to cook. Gently turn the peppers halfway through cooking.
Once the peppers and sausages are cooked remove from the oven.
Whilst the sausages and peppers are cooking, gently heat 2 tablespoons of veg oil in a large heavy bottomed saucepan (my large John Lewis cast iron pan is just the job for this, should you have anything similar). Add the chopped onions to the pan, cook for 5 minutes, then add the sliced mushrooms, cook for a further 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for another few minutes, before adding the rice. Give the pan a really good stir to stop the rice from sticking to the bottom.
After a minute, add the cooked sausages and peppers to the pan. It’s fine to drizzle in any oil that may be remaining on the pepper tray, as this will add additional flavour. Pour in the hot stock, and stir well before adding the chilli powder and turmeric.
Time now to add the sliced courgettes. Again stir after adding, then bring the pan to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and pop a lid on.
Do keep a check on the pan and keep giving it an occasional stir, and pour in a drop more boiling water if you feel it’s needed.
Cook for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked and there’s hardly any liquid to be seen. Season to taste. I generally season (if needed) with a touch more veg bouillon, additional chilli powder and a good few twists of *pepper.
Turn off the heat, leave the lid on the pan and let the Jambalaya stand for 10 minutes (this allows the rice to soak up any remaining moisture in the pan) before tucking in.
Recipe notes and suggestions:
Cooked rice is a really tricky thing to safely store, so Jambalaya is best eaten 10 minutes or so after it’s been cooked.
You can of course get ahead of time, by chopping all the bits and bobs you’ll need, prior to making Jambalaya.
Jambalaya has SO much going on that it really doesn’t need any sides to go with it. That said, me and Neil are rather partial to adding a handful of homemade oven chips to our plate – double carbing, I know! We also NEVER skip drizzling plenty of Lingham’s chilli sauce over our Jambalaya.
As you know, I love to share recipes that you can play around with and make your own, and this Jambalaya is a cracking one for you adapt and put your own signature to.
Thanks for taking the time to check out my Jambalaya recipe. If you get to make it, I’d love to hear what you think.
For now,
Liz x
*Check this product to ensure that there are no gluten containing ingredients, ‘may contain’ or ‘not suitable’ for a coeliac/gluten free diet warnings on the pack.
