Ted Lasso: Sam's Jollof Rice

Higgins: "Sam, back home, what does Christmas make you think of?" Sam: "Colonization." Higgins: "Of course." Sam: "Back home in Lagos, we have good friends who celebrate, and they always eat jollof rice and goat meat, so I hade you some...but I used chicken." Higgins: "Thank God."

This beef version of jollof rice is full of warm, earthy flavors. A Sam approved addition to any Ted Lasso watch party!

Sam's Jollof Rice

What you need:

for the tomato sauce -

• 3 medium-sized Roma tomatoes, chopped

• 1 fresh red bell pepper, chopped

• 1 C red onions, roughly chopped

• 1/4 scotch bonnet pepper optional

• 3 C vegetable broth

for the beef -

• 10 oz stewing beef, cut into 1 to 2 inch chunks

• 2 tsp Caribbean/Jamaican-style curry powder

• 2 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 2 TB oil, canola or vegetable (do not use olive oil)

for the stew and rice -

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

• 3 bay leaves

• 2 TB tomato paste

• 2 C parboiled rice (it will say parboiled on box), rinsed

• Toppings: ½ medium red onion, sliced onions, 1 plum tomato, halved then sliced; 1 teaspoon unsalted butter

What you do:

for the tomato sauce -

1. In a blender, combine tomatoes, red bell pepper, chopped onions, and scotch bonnet with 1 1/2 cups of broth. Add in batches. Blend till smooth, about 1-2 minutes. You should have roughly 4 to 5 cups of blended mix.

2. Pour into a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice till it reduces by half, to about 2 to 2 1/2 cups.

3. Remove from heat and set aside.

for the beef -

1. Season beef with 1 tsp curry powder and 1 tsp dried thyme, salt and pepper

2. Set a large, heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and when it's hot, add the beef and pan fry till brown, about 5 to 6 minutes, turning till most sides are evenly browned.

3. Remove the beef and set the pot aside, oil and all. You'll use it in the next step.

for the stew and rice -

1. Add remaining oil to same pot.

2. Then add the sliced onion, bay leaves, the rest of the curry powder and dried thyme and salt and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on low to medium heat, stirring so the mix doesn’t burn.

3. Add the tomato paste and stir for another 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Add the reduced tomato-pepper mixture from the first step, stir, and set on medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes till reduced by half, with the lid on. Taste and adjust seasoning.

5. Add 1 1/2 cups of the broth to the cooked tomato sauce and bring it to boil for 1 - 2 minutes.

6. Add the rinsed rice and beef, stir, cover with a double layer of foil/baking or parchment paper and put a lid on the pan—this will seal in the steam and lock in the flavour. Turn down the heat and cook on low for 30 minutes.

7. Stir rice—taste and adjust as required. If rice needs longer, leave on low heat and let it steam for a few more minutes. Add more stock or water as needed. Cook till rice is soft and easy to fluff with a fork and remove from the heat.

8. If you like, add sliced onions, fresh tomatoes and a teaspoon of butter and stir through before you serve.