Jambalaya

Serves: 6

White, brown, red and black rice vary in the quantity of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants they contain. Wholegrain brown rice still has its nutritious outer bran coating, which has been removed from white rice. All rice consists predominantly of carbohydrate, but it also contains protein and is low in fat, making it a great base for lots of simple suppers. This recipe is flavoured with sausage, ham and a little cayenne.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp mild olive oil
• 175g cooking chorizo, smoked pork sausage or spicy sausages, cut into small chunks
• 275g cooked ham, cut into small chunks
• 1 onion
• 5 whole cloves
• 2 sticks of celery, finely sliced
• ½ heaped tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• ½ green pepper and ½ red pepper, or just one of either colour, chopped into chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2-3 pinches of cayenne pepper
• 350g long-grain rice, white or brown
• 1½ tsp tomato purée
• 2 bay leaves
• 125ml white wine
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 700ml hot chicken stock
• 200g cooked, peeled large prawns
• a good handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or sauté pan and brown the chunks of chorizo or sausage for 3-4 minutes over a high heat. Add the ham and fry for a further 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
2. Cut the onion into quarters. Keep one quarter with the end intact so that it doesn’t break up; use this quarter as a pin cushion for the cloves. Chop the remainder of the onion.
3. Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the chopped and clove-spiked onion, celery, oregano and thyme for 6 minutes or until soft. Tip in the peppers and stir-fry for 2 minutes before adding the garlic, cayenne pepper and rice.
4. Toss over the heat, then add the tomato purée and stir to caramelise. Throw in the bay leaves, pour in the wine and simmer until the wine has evaporated, stirring over the heat.
5. Add the tinned tomatoes and hot stock, then return the ham and sausage to the pan. Stir, bring to the boil, then simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or until half the liquid has evaporated and the rice is cooked.
6. Add the prawns and stir for a final couple of minutes. Turn off the heat, fish out the clove-spiked onion and bay leaves, and discard. Rest the rice for 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve.