Jambalaya, With Thanks to Pol Martin

Karen Elizabeth's Note:

I am a great fan of the late Pol Martin, I recently made his Jambalaya, from "Pol Martins Supreme Cuisine", using left over gammon from Christmas Day in place of the ham. The family absolutely loved it! So I've brought it here to share with you. I've recorded the recipe as written, but should add that I did not cook this in the stove at all, (I've mentioned this in the directions), I used the tinned tomatoes, with their juice, and I didn't have fennel seed, so simply omitted it, after some deliberation about possible subs. Also, please note that the recipe uses Cooked rice, I have not included cooking time for the rice, although I cooked mine in the microwave whilst cooking the bacon, onion, etc, down to step 4, it took around twenty minutes to cook. Final note, that should read a FEW drops of hot pepper sauce, but somehow, it keeps coming out as 3! Add whatever you are comfortable with!

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 4 slices bacon , diced
• 1 large onion , finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves , crushed
• 4 tomatoes, peeled and seeded or 410 g canned tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon fennel seed
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 cup chicken stock
• ½ lb cooked ham , chopped in small pieces
• ¾ lb shrimp , peeled and deveined
• 1 yellow pepper , cut in strips
• 1 green pepper , cut in strips
• 3 drops hot pepper sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C (Only if you follow instructions for cooking in oven).
2. Cook bacon in large pan over medium heat. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add onion and garlic to hot pan. Cook 8 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in tomatoes, fennel and thyme. Cook 5 minutes.
5. Add rice, chicken stock, ham and cooked bacon. Mix well and bring to boil. Cover and cook for 15 minutes in oven.
6. (I did not cook this in the oven, I covered the pan, turned down the heat to medium for a gentle simmer, and allowed it to continue simmering on top of the stove).
7. Add shrimp and peppers to pan. Mix and add hot pepper sauce. Cover and return to oven (or continue on top of stove), continue cooking for 8 - 10 minutes.

Reviews

[Nancy's Pantry]

We really enjoyed this delicious and colorful dish! This recipe is very easy to make and is ready to eat in under an hour. My only addition to this dish was some cajun seasoning, additional dashes of Louisiana hot sauce and freshly ground black pepper -- we like these dishes spicy. I will definitely be making this dish again. Recipe made for the AUS/NZ - Make My Recipe Tag, September, 2011.

[Shuzbud]

There aren't enough stars here for me to give this recipe. We absolutely loved it! In an attempt to be healthy, I omitted the bacon and added extra ham. We will definitely be making this again. Thanks for a super recipe!