Simon Long of Shambles Kitchen cooks up a dish straight from Bourbon Street.

Pancake Day is fun, but it’s not half as good as Mardi Gras. In 2003 – while studying at the University of South Carolina – I took a road trip with some mates to New Orleans.

That’s where I was introduced to jambalaya. It was love at first taste. I can't remember everything about that trip, but I’ll never forget that meal on Bourbon Street.

Here’s my slight adaptation.


Ingredients - Serves 5

1 tbsp olive oil
500g chicken, diced
75g chorizo, diced
1 tbsp Cajun spice
1 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
1 onion, finely diced
cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp smoked paprika
215g long grain rice
400g can chopped tomatoes
350ml chicken stock

Garnish: Sour cream and fresh coriander.

Method

1 Heat oil in a pan and add chorizo. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the oil turns red. Remove the chorizo but leave the oil in the pan.

2 Add the chicken to the red oil and season with the Cajun spice and a pinch of salt. Remove the chicken once it is sealed all over.

3 Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook on a low heat for 3-4 minutes, until soft. Then add the bay leaf, pepper, rice, tomatoes, chicken stock, oregano, smoked paprika and cook for ten minutes more on a gentle simmer.

4 Stir back in the chicken and chorizo and add the balsamic vinegar. Cover and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes until the rice is cooked. If it starts to stick, add some more stock one little bit at a time.

5 Serve with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves.