recipe: saffron prawn jambalaya

as mentioned, this is a dish i love; it combines some of my favouritefavourite things. i generally prepare my ingredients separately, as in i cook the rice separately, mainly for the convenience of being able to throw it together quickly, as is the case in a restaurant kitchen.

it is important to remember that this dish is a jumble of things by definition as well as by name, so that should necessity dictate one ingredient be sub'd for another, what of it? the enjoyment of food is the main ingredient; it's all in the eating.

so then, the recipe:

>onions/garlic/olive oil/butter/thyme/saffron: in an oven dish, with a lid/foil cover, in the oven for 15minutes on 220. the outer onions may caramelise a little, but they are sweet & delicious, a layer strength & depth of flavour happens to the dish as a result.

>spicy sausage, kulen & kobasica i use all the time, chorizo, culatello i used this week/prawn tails: bring the pot roasted onions out & sit on a hi/medium flame, adding the sliced sausage & prawns, thawed if using frozen.

>rice, precooked: i use a rice cooker “one billion chinese people cannot be wrong about rice”  & the rice cooks in chicken stock, a little white wine. this is fine using aborio rice, as with a risotto, but there are lots of options here. this is a lot like a paella, where a short or medium grain rice is used. couscous, bulghur wheat...this week i used a short grain pearly brown rice. anyway, whatever yr using, add it now, stirring it in gently so that it soaks up the flavour in the pan.

>from here its about finishing. with rice, i add a little cream about now, folding it thru. with couscous or bulghur wheat i may use haloumi, coloured in a hot pan with olive oil & cut thru, either way, spring onons & fresh herbs chopped finely, & lastly lemon zest.

>the addition of olives or capers i like, & roast capsicum, when in season, is a must. 

>serve with a green leafy salad, lightly dressed, to bring freshness & crunch.