My mouth is watering again just writing this post. We had this Jambalaya on Friday night and it was the best one yet! The diet and portion control rules I was trying to stick to literally went out the window. I had three helpings of this. Three!!!

So Cajun/Creole is definitely my favourite of all the flavours of America. I love the flavours, the heat and the culture of Creole cooking. And anything that encourages overuse of Tabasco is going to be a big hit in my book.

Creole is not a cuisine you find a lot of in Australia and I think it’s a terrible shame. The fact that some people have never had the pleasure of a good Gumbo or Jambalaya seems criminal. Criminal I tell you!

So, now you all have a good, tried and tested recipe, I need you all to make it. You will love it and its really very easy, a one pot wonder.

Oh and when I am cooking a need a sound track, if you really want an authentic feel of the South here is a little mood music for you.

Serves 4

16 raw prawns, peeled and deveined
4 chicken thigh fillets
2 raw Andouille or chorizo sausages, sliced (if you can’t get Andouille, use raw chorizo sausages from the butcher section not cured from the deli)
1 onion, diced
1 green capsicum, diced
2 sticks of celery, halved lengthways and diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp hot sauce
1 cup rice
1 litre chicken stock
Salt and pepper
Oil
Parsley, chopped

Creole Spice Mix
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme

In a large bowl combine spice mix ingredients with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add chicken and marinate for half an hour.

In a large pot over medium heat, brown off the chicken in 1 tablespoon of oil. Remove and set aside. Add sausage and stir fry until cooked and oils and flavour release. Set aside with the chicken. To that same pot, add the ‘Creole Holy Trinity’ onion, capsicum and celery, cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic, cook for a further minute. Then add the tomatoes, bay leaves, hot sauce and rice. Then finally add your chicken stock. Cook covered, on a medium simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove lid, reduce heat to a low simmer and add the chicken and the sausage and cook for a further 15 minutes until the chicken is breaking down, the rice is cooked and the stock has been absorbed. Now you can turn off the heat check seasoning and add your prawns, try to bury them in the rice and then cover, leave to stand for about 3 minutes or until prawns are cooked through.

Serve with parsley and extra hot sauce. I really hope you love it.