A bad case of Super Bowl Fever!

It’s the Super Bowl on Sunday!  New Orleans Saints versus the Indianapolis Colts, The Who is going to rock the crowd at halftime, then there’s the National Anthem, the celebs, paparazzi, big hulky football players and beer, baby, lots of beer!  Nachos, burgers, wings, chilli, chips, dips - everything going to your hips.  Beer, beer, beer!  Oh god, I’m going to gain 5 pounds and I don’t even know the rules of the game.  Come to think of it, I don’t know the National Anthem either. 

Six years ago as an international student, studying in America, I went to my first and only Super Bowl party: Tampa Bay Buccaneers took the title of NFL Champions but I hardly recall the game.  Shania Twain, No Doubt and Sting took to the stage at half time.  Male friends were hollering from the living room and I spent the game discussing the finer points of a perfect Margarita.  On a day that represents the 5^th largest beer sales in the US, it’s no surprise that Super Bowl fever pulls in plenty of fake-fans like myself.    

With two days to go until the big game I’m debating which dish to take to a friend’s house on Sunday night.  I pitched the idea of doing Buffalo burgers but can I be bothered to hand-make all of those patties when I could be enjoying the pre-game fun?  I suspect the answer is no.  Also, should I pay homage to the host city, Miami and opt for something with a Nuevo Latino flair?  Or take into account New Orleans cuisine and create a dish from there?  And what’s specific to Indianapolis?  So many decisions and will anyone really care?     

I’ll be supporting the Saints on Sunday though in reality I have no idea who’s got the sporting edge.  I do know that New Orleans has a greater culinary tradition therefore they get my support.  In honour of this, here’s a recipe for Jambalaya.

Ingredients for roughly 4 servings:

·       350 g short grain rice, or Spanish rice

·       2 tbsp olive oil 

·       225g roughly chop Andouille or Chorizo (or any spicy pork sausage)

·       2 boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs

·       30g butter

·       1 red onion, chopped

·       3 Peppers any colour

·       2 cloves garlic, crushed

·       1.5 tsp smoked Paprika or Cayenne

·       3 bay leaves 

·       400g tin tinned chopped tomatoes

·       1 tbsp sun-dried tomato purée

·       200ml vegetable stock

·       175g shrimps

Instructions

1. Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat half of the olive oil in a large shallow pan, add the sausage and cook for 30 seconds on each side until golden. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, until golden all over. Remove from pan and set aside.

4. Add the remaining oil and the butter to the pan. Add the onions and peppers and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are lightly golden. Stir in the garlic, paprika, cloves and bay leaves. Cook for 1 minute.

5. Stir in the drained, cooked rice and transfer the chorizo and chicken to the pan. Pour in the tomatoes, tomato puree and stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 6-8 minutes then add the shrimps and cook for a further 2 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Season to taste and scatter over fresh parsley if you have any to hand.   

6. Pop a bottle of hot sauce on the table so that people can add extra heat to their dish.