Easy Jazzy Entertaining…
Jambalaya
You’ll need:
3 Cups Rice
1 Whole chicken, cut into pieces
3 Chorizo sausages
1 Onion, chopped
1 Habanero Chilli, deseeded and chopped (optional)
50ml Tomato paste
400g Canned Tomatoes
2 Carrots Chopped
200g Mange Tout or Green beans
2 Celery sticks, chopped
1 Tablespoon Garlic, chopped
1 Tablespoon Ginger, Chopped
750ml Vegetable stock
15ml ground Cumin
15ml Paprika
30ml Olive oil
Here’s how:
· In a bowl, rub the Paprika into the Chicken and set aside.
· In a saucepan, add the oil and brown the chicken and sausage, remove and set aside
· Add chopped onion, chilli, carrot, celery, garlic, ginger, cumin and cook for 5mins
· Add the rice, tomatoes, tomato paste and cook for a further 3mins, stirring continuously
· Add the meat and sausage, cook for 2mins
· Add the vegetable stock, lower the heat and cook for 30mins
· Add the Mange tout and cook for a further 5mins
· Serve with a spicy tomato salsa or a simple green salad
Friends gather round the table as delicious aromas fill the air, mingling with funky jazzy sounds of Tania Maria’s ‘come with me’. Everyone is relaxed and enjoying Rupert and Rothschild’s classique, 2009 which is a Carbenet Sauvignon and Merlot blend. The classique’s ripe, rich fruity taste with blackberry and pepper notes is an excellent wine to pair off with our main dish, the Jambalaya.
My guests; like me always like to travel with their palates…our evenings together are a journey that ignite the senses. We always begin with an easy a bowl of soup served with crusty bread in the winter or like tonight my spicy chilli, coriander and lemon marinated tiger prawns. I cook these in their shells under the grill until they are a pink, about 10-15minutes and a little squeeze of lemon completes this dish. I serve these tapas style with bowls of Ghanaian deep fried spiced plantains, called Kelewele or deep fried yams with a chakalaka dip, keeping it simple and delicious.
Our main dish the Jambalaya, enters the room to the soothing sounds of Diana Krall’s “ the girl from Ipanema”. The Jambalaya, originates from the french quarter of New Orleans and the recipe is an adaptation of the Spanish paella. The French influence was strong in New Orleans and spices from the caribbean changed this paella into a unique rice dish. Jambalaya just like Jazz has become synonymous with New Orleans culture. It is a testament to how different flavours can blend together to create an orchestra of deliciousness. Over the years the Jambalaya has influenced other rice dishes across the world, including the Jollof rice in West Africa.
I love serving the Jambalaya when I have friends over for dinner, as it is an easy one-pot meal that has me spending very little time in the kitchen and as much time with my guests. I like to serve the jambalaya with a crisp green salad and a tangy dressing or a simple tomato and herb salsa. The Jambalaya is always a feast of flavours.
We end off our feast to the sounds of Hugh Masekela’s and Oliver Mtukudzi. The dessert is meringue baskets filled with fresh cream and strawberries. The strawberries are in season at this time of the year and are readily available and well priced. This simple dessert can be put together in just a few minutes, giving me more time to enjoy some more wine and beautiful jazzy sounds of Wynton Marsalis. A nice pot of freshly brewed Ethiopian Coffee always ends the evening on a high note…
