In this recipe series, we bring you recipes by Julia Toon, culinary motivator and author of the book ‘Good Eating: A Taste of Qatar’. New recipes every week, straight from Jules of the Kitchen.
Chicken and Seafood Jambalaya
Jambalaya is a popular dish of West African, French, Spanish, and Native American influence, consisting mainly of meat and vegetables mixed with rice. Traditionally, the meat always includes sausage of some sort, and of course chicken and seafood such as crawfish or shrimp. My take on this recipe is to remove the sausage and use smoked oysters with their intense flavoured oil directly from the tin. Really does add an extra element to this delicious rice dish. Serve with plenty of fresh lemon juice and voila, you have a true taste of the South.
Serves 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Oven temperature: 180ºC
Ingredients
Jambalaya Spice Mix
2 bayleaves
Generous pinch of sea salt
1 tsp dried chili flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp white pepper seeds – or powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
Others
2 tbsp oil – rapeseed or olive oil
2 large onions – chopped
4 sticks of celery – chopped
2 green peppers – halved, de-seeded and chopped
4 small chicken breasts – roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves – roughly chopped
1 x 450 g tin of tomatoes – chopped
135 g tomato puree – 1 small carton
400 ml stock – or water
3 large spring onions – washed, trimmed, and chunkily sliced
370 g long grain rice – washed
250 g frozen shrimps – defrosted
1 x 85 g tin smoked oysters – in oil (use it all)
Garnish
Fresh lemon wedges
Instructions
Prepare Jambalaya Spice Mix
In a small bowl or pestle and mortar, add all dry spice ingredients. Bruise together to form a dry spicy mix.
Cook Jambalaya in stages
Stage 1
In a large heavy-duty ovenproof casserole dish, heat the oil. Add the onions, celery, peppers, and saute until soft, stirring frequently.
Stage two
Raise the heat and add the chicken pieces. Saute quickly all over.
Stage three
Reduce the heat and now add the Jambalaya spice and chopped garlic. Cook for approximately 3 minutes, stirring constantly and scraping the pan as required. Now add the tin of chopped tomatoes, the tomato puree, and stock (water). Bring to a gentle simmer.
Stage four
Add the chopped spring onions, allow to cook for 2 minutes, and finally add the rice, shrimps, and tinned smoked oysters plus oil.
Final stage – bake
Cover the pan and bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes until the rice is tender.
Serve hot with fresh lemon wedges.
Jules Tips: If you have a food processor, use it to chop the vegetables (onion, celery, green peppers) as it is really quick and easy. The addition of the chopped garlic comes last, to prevent overcooking and burning. If you have not got a large, heavy-bottomed ovenproof pan with a lid, make initially in a saucepan and then transfer to an ovenproof dish for the final bake – covering with tin foil to make the lid.
Contributed by: Julia Toon, Jules of the Kitchen
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