Jambalaya with Prawns, Pork & Smoked Sausage

Jambalaya with Prawns, Pork & Smoked Sausage

Jambalaya had humble beginnings as a poor man’s way of using up leftovers, filled out with plenty of rice. Now it is revered and like many Louisiana dishes. Jambalaya has both Creole and Cajun versions with fierce proponents of both styles. This Jambalaya with prawns, pork & smoked sausage is Creole in the use of tomatoes and prawns – but also Cajun in including smoked sausage.

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
300g pork neck, cut into 1.5cm dice
1 large (150g) smoked pork sausage such as Bratwurst or Kransky, sliced diagonally
1 onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 green capsicum, finely chopped
1 red capsicum, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup (200g) long grain rice
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
2 cups (500 ml) chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
12 green prawns, peeled (leave tail on) and deveined
8 mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
1 – 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, to serve
Hot-pepper sauce, or tabasco, to taste (optional)

Method:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons (40 ml) oil in a large frying pan, add diced pork neck and cook for 3 minutes or until browned on all sides. Add smoked pork sausage and cook for a further minute. Remove neck and sausage and reserve.
2. Return frying pan to medium heat and add onion, celery and green and red capsicums. Cook vegetables for 3 minutes or until softened, add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add rice and stir well to coat with oil. Return pork neck and sausage to pan with tomatoes, chicken stock, ½ cup (125 ml) water, dried thyme and bay leaves. Mix well and bring to the boil. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 35 minutes or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has absorbed.
3. In the last five minutes of cooking, add remaining tablespoon oil to a small frying pan. Add prawns and stir over high heat until just pink.
4. Place prawns and mussels on top of rice mixture, cover and cook for 3 minutes or until the mussels open.
5. Scatter with parsley and serve immediately with hot-pepper sauce if desired.

Lyndey’s Note: Traditionally Andouille, a spicy, Cajun smoked pork sausage is used. It is unlike its French namesake in that it contains no offal. Hot chorizo could be used in its place as can bratwurst or kransky.

Here’s how to make this recipe in a rice cooker.