Creole Chicken Jambalaya

This Creole style jambalaya is my definition of warming, comforting food. The tomatoes make it Creole (as opposed to Cajun), and the addition of chorizo, while inauthentic, gives a piquancy and chewiness which I love. If you can, buy the best quality chorizo you can reasonably find and use homemade chicken stock for extra nutrition and flavour.

Ingredients (easily serves 4):

• 250g long grain rice
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes or passata
• 450ml chicken stock
• 2 cooked corn on the cobs or handful of frozen sweetcorn
• 150g chorizo, sliced (best quality you can get)
• Leftover roast chicken, chopped (I used the meat from both legs)
• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 white onion
• 2 sticks of celery
• 2 green peppers
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon celery seeds
• Black pepper
• Salt (smoked salt is great in this recipe if you have it)
• Knob of butter
• Drizzle of oil for frying
• 4/5 spring onions to garnish

Method:

• Finely chop the celery, onion and green pepper (or pulse in the food processor).
• Heat a small amount of oil and a knob of butter in your biggest frying pan and add the chopped vegetables, then turn down the heat and gently soften for about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl and wipe down the pan, then turn up the heat and add the chorizo. When the chorizo has released its bright, punchy oil add the vegetables back in to the pan and pour in the rice. Stir everything to coat in the oil.
• Add the spices and herbs including a really good amount of black pepper.
• Add the crushed garlic and mix well.
• Fry the mixture gently for another few minutes then add most of the stock and the chopped tomatoes. Turn down the heat to allow the pan to simmer for about 15 minutes.
• Cut the kernels of sweetcorn from the cob by standing the cob on its end then using a sharp knife to push downwards.
• Chop the cooked chicken and add to the rice mixture along with the sweetcorn.
• Stir well and taste the rice – you can add a bit of water or stock if it looks a little dry.
• Cook until the rice is tender and until you’re happy with the seasoning.
• Serve in big bowls with spoons, finished with a generous handful of sliced spring onion.

Red Pepper Rice

This rice dish is full of taste and texture and can easily be adapted to your own taste. Chopped celery would work well, as would fresh peppers, sliced mushrooms or cherry tomatoes. It’s lovely eaten hot, warm or cold making it an excellent choice for a BBQ or buffet. I served it with Crispy Salmon Tacos and Guacamole.

I always have a jar of roasted red peppers in the fridge, as they’re good to put in salads, on sandwiches and through pasta sauces. Don’t just grab the expensive ones from the supermarket – discount shops like B&Ms and Quality Save always have the same ones for less than a pound.

As part of a main meal, these quantities will serve 4 with leftovers.

Ingredients:

• 1 mug long grain rice
• 2 mugs of boiling water
• 1 stock pot or cube
• 1 roasted red pepper
• 200g sweetcorn (tinned or frozen)
• 1 tablespoons red pepper paste
• Few dashes of tabasco
• 2 spring onions
• Large pinch of salt

Method:

• In a large saucepan, heat a tablespoon of oil and fry the rice for 2/3 minutes.
• Add the water and stock cube, then put the lid on and turn the heat to medium.
• Slice the spring onion and roughly chop the red pepper. Drain the corn (or thaw if you’re using frozen) and put everything in to a bowl ready for adding to the rice once it’s cooked.

• Once the rice has absorbed all the water (about 12 minutes), take the pan off the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Add the corn, pepper and onion along with the red pepper paste, tabasco and some salt.
• Mix well and taste to check seasoning and balance of flavour.
• Add more salt or tabasco to taste, then set aside until ready to serve.

So easy, junk free and less than a pound per portion. Great with tacos!

Sweetcorn Salsa Criolla

This is my take on a salsa criolla. The red onion makes a criolla a criolla, but I’ve added the heat of a green chilli and some roasted sweetcorn to make it mine!

Ingredients:

• 1 tin sweetcorn
• 1 red onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green chilli
• 1 lime
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method:

• Drain the sweetcorn and spread evenly on a baking tray.
• Toast in a medium oven for about 20 minutes then allow to cool on the tray.
• Finely (or as finely as you can) chop the red onion and red pepper and mix in a serving bowl.
• Remove half the seeds from the green chilli and finely chop the flesh. Add to the bowl along with the cooled sweetcorn.
• Add the juice of the lime, 3 tablespoons of oil and plenty of seasoning then mix well and check the seasoning.
• Leave in the fridge until ready to serve.

I served this with shredded beef for the World Cup final 2014!