Jambalaya

When Rach and I have a child at some point in the future I'd be very tempted to call it Jambalaya, little Jambalaya Foster, Jumbo for short (let's hope it's not a girl).

My reasoning goes beyond the fact that it's a nice word to say or that i crave to repeat the tortuous school ground memories i personally have from being given my own unusual name.   

'Jambalaya' appears to come from a word which translates to a mish mash or mix up, a description of how the Spanish culture affected the local cuisine on the Caribbean Islands, where the dish was born. 

Our families have been similarly influenced, British mixed with Mexican and Polish nationalities to create us. So if a couple already from a mixed cultural background were to have a child it would be a real mix or mish mash of different cultures, a right little jambalaya if you will!

Ingredients -

 

150g chorizo, halved length ways and then sliced

3 hand fulls of leftover roast chicken torn into small pieces / 2 chicken breasts

2 medium onions, chopped

2 red peppers, chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp Cajun spice

2 tsp cayenne

440ml can of chopped tomatoes

750ml chicken stock

300g long grain rice

Grated Cheddar Cheese (Optional)
Hot chili sauce to serve

• Fry the chorizo in a large pan until it starts to release it's oils, then add the chopped onions and cook until they're softened
• Add the chopped pepper, garlic and left over chicken (if using chicken breasts then fry these beforehand on either side until done and then chop)
• Add the Cajun and cayenne spices and stir through
• Add the uncooked rice then pour over the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock
• Cover the pot and allow to simmer for approx 20 minutes, until the rice is cooked. 
• Stir the mixture occasionally to stop it from sticking and add a little more water if it's getting too dry and the rice is not tender. 

Serve drizzled with hot chili / Tabasco sauce to taste or if you want to make it a little less healthy grate cheddar cheese over the top and grill to melt.