Creole Style Smoked Sausage Gumbo

Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7.

Pop the sausages onto a baking tray. When the oven is hot, bake on the middle shelf until the sausages are golden brown and cooked through, 20-25 mins. IMPORTANT: Wash your hands and equipment after handling raw meat.

Pour the water for the rice (see pantry for amount) into a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.

Stir in the rice and ¼ tsp salt and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium and cover with the lid. 

Leave to cook for 10 mins, then remove the pan from the heat (still covered) and leave to the side for another 10 mins or until ready to serve (the rice will continue to cook in its own steam).

Meanwhile, halve the bell pepper and discard the core and seeds. Chop into 3cm chunks.

Halfway through cooking, add the pepper to the sausage tray and drizzle with oil. Toss to coat, then turn the sausages and pop back into the oven. IMPORTANT: The sausages are cooked when no longer pink in the middle.

Meanwhile, halve, peel and thinly slice the onion. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). Trim and halve the green beans.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and green beans. Season with salt and pepper and fry, stirring occasionally, until softened, 7-8 mins. 

While the veg fries, roughly chop the parsley (stalks and all). 

Once the veg has softened, add the garlic and fry for 30 secs more, then transfer to a bowl and set aside. 

Pop the pan back on medium heat (no need to clean). Add the butter (see pantry for amount) and allow it to melt.

Once hot, stir in the flour (see pantry for amount). Cook until it forms a paste, 1-2 mins - you've made a roux!

Cook it further until it becomes a golden brown colour, 1-2 mins, continuously stirring. Add the Cajun spice mix and stir-fry for 1 min more. 

Next, stir in the water for the sauce (see pantry for amount) a little at a time, followed by the chicken stock paste, passata and sugar for the sauce (see pantry for amount). Bring to the boil, stir and simmer until thickened, 1-2 mins. Remove from the heat. 

Once the sausages and pepper are cooked, remove the tray from the oven.

Carefully cut the sausages diagonally into 5 or 6 pieces and stir them into the sauce, along with the roasted pepper, green beans and onion.

Pop back on the heat and simmer until piping hot, 2-3 mins.

Stir through half the parsley, season with salt and pepper, then remove from the heat. Add a splash of water to loosen if needed. 

Share the rice between your bowls and spoon over the sausage gumbo.

Sprinkle over the remaining parsley to finish.