Jambalaya

I love jambalaya; in fact I fell in love with the word jambalaya long before I had my first taste of the delicious rice dish, luckily for me it is a dish that tastes as good as it sounds.

There are many theories on the origin of the dish, though 'an attempt by the Spanish to make paella in the new world by substituting saffron with tomatoes' is the most convincing one to me. The result of my little research on jambalaya was a very rewarding one, through the many articles and books on Southern food I also gained a deeper understanding about the very rich and colourful history of the Creole cuisine.

I am using prawns and chorizo here simply because they go so well together. Feel free to add chicken, seafood and vegetables to yours as there are really no rules on what you can or cannot put into a jambalaya.

serves 4 as a one dish meal
you'll need;
1 red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced * (optional)
2 chorizo sausage, sliced
500 g of prawns, shelled and deveined reserving the shells and heads
3 tsp of sweet paprika
2 tsp of cayenne pepper
3 cups of long grain rice
400 ml can of crushed tomato
5 cups of chicken stock
3 bay leaves
a pinch of thyme
1/2 cup of chopped parsley
1/2 cup of chopped spring onions

Prepare the pawns and chorizo.

Brown chorizo slices in batches and set aside.

Add prawn heads and shells to the rendered fat from the chorizo and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shells and leave behind as much of the flavoured oil as possible.

Saute the chopped ingredients in the flavoured fat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, scrapping of the brown bit on the pan as you go. Next add in the paprika and cayenne pepper and continue to cook for a minute.

Stir in the rice and return the sausage to the pan and mix well. 

Add tomato pasatta and stock and season well. Throw in the bay leaves and thyme and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Add prawns and put the lid on until the prawns are cook through (~5 minutes). Check for seasonings before mixing in the chopped herbs, stir well before serving.

Serve with a glass of Rioja.

Caesar Salad With Grilled Chicken

Again nothing ground breaking but just another one of our summer favourites. I have added grilled chicken to make it more substantial to serve at dinner, forgo the chicken if you want to serve it as a light lunch instead. This is one of those simple dish that can go horribly wrong; too much dressing, over cooked chicken and a badly made dressing can all turn this into a horrible nightmare! 

I am making this a very short post as I have got my food shopping with me, please come back tomorrow for my Malaysian Monday post.

serve 2 as a one dish meal
you'll need;
2 free range chicken breasts
1 tbs of olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 baby cos lettuce, cut into large pieces
2 rashes of bacon, rinds removed and fried til crispy
1/2 a loaf of ciabatta bread, cut into pieces
2 very fresh free range eggs, soft poached and drained well
8 anchovy filets
parmesan shavings

for the dressing;
1 garlic cloves
3 anchovy fillets
2 very fresh free range eggs
1/2 tbs of Dijon mustard
juice from 1/2 a lemon
15 g of grated parmesan cheese
250 ml of olive oil
salt to taste

Marinate the chicken breasts for at least an hour.

To prepare the dressing - Pound garlic and anchovy fillets to a paste. Place the paste in a bowl and slowly whisk in the eggs, dijon mustard, lemon juice and olive oil. Finally season with sea salt.

Grill chicken on a hot griddle for 5 minutes each side then finish off in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the breasts. Rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Drizzle some olive oil over the ciabatta pieces and toast until golden and crispy. Allow to cool.

Toss ciabatta and lettuce with 4 tbs of the dressing and divide into 2 equal portions.

Place the sliced chicken breast, crispy bacon, anchovy fillets and a poached egg over the dressed leaves. Season the poached egg, shave some parmesan cheese over and drizzle a little more dressing over.

Mac And Cheese From The Tummie's Kitchen

Another well loved classic this time from the U.S.A and another first for me at the tummies' kitchen. The last time I made mac and cheese was a good 10 years ago, using packet sauce of course. After my success with the shepherd's pies using those individual ramekins; I have been thinking about different ways of using them again, apart from several delicious pies I had in mind mac and cheese also made it to the list. Making white sauce for the first time was both exciting and nerve wracking, thank god it was a lot easier than I thought PHEW! I added some peas and pancetta for extra colour and texture. Do get good quality cheese for this dish it is after all named mac and cheese for a reason.

P.S with no particular guidelines, I cooked a whole packet of macaroni which will feed 6 hungry adults easily, so do adjust the ingredients accordingly.

Serves 6

you'll need;

oven preheated at 200 C

500 g of macaroni, cooked til al dende and drained

150 g of gruyere 

150 g of smoked cheddar 

100 g of parmesan

1 l of milk

3 tbs of butter

3 tbs of flour

1 onion, sliced and saute (optional)

250 g of pancetta or ham, cubes and fried (optional)

250 g of peas (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare all the ingredients while the pasta is being cooked.

Cook macaroni with plenty of salted water til al dente and drain well.

To make the white sauce - melt butter in a pot then add in the flour, mix well and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on low heat. Slowly add in the milk and with a whisk, continue to stir and whip til the sauce is smooth and thicken. Remove from the heat and stil in the 3/4 of the cheeses. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix pasta, onion, peas, pancetta and cheese sauce in a large pot and mix well. Check for seasonings.

Fill individual ramekins or baking tray with pasta mixture, top with the remaining grated cheese and fried pancetta.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes til golden and bubbling.

Serve immediately with a green salad. Another first and another success at the tummies' kitchen, I'm very pleased with that!