Paella

Prep time:30 min

Cook time:45 min

Serves:8

 

A delicious mixture of chicken, chorizo, mussels and prawns

You can leave out the mussels and add clams instead or just leave it out. I make this recipe all the time, for entertaining and just for us to enjoy at home. Really nice with some crusty / garlic bread and a fresh green salad.

Ingredients

500g mussels, cleaned (can buy vaccum packed from super market)

125 ml olive oil

175 g chorizo, cut into 5mm thick slices

115 g pancetta, diced

8 chicken thighs, each cut in half

1 large Spanish onion, finely diced

1 tsp thyme

2 clove garlic, finely chopped

½ tsp dried red chilli flakes

1 red pepper, diced

1.2 litres chicken stock

1 tsp strands saffron

450 g calasparra rice

3 bay leaves

1 tsp paprika

125 ml dry white wine

1 tbsp lemon juice

115 g frozen peas, thawed

55 g unsalted butter

4 large tomatoes, deseeded and diced

5 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

grated rind of 1 lemons

black pepper

12 raw, shell-on jumbo prawns

450 g squid, cleaned and cut into bite-sized pieces

Method

1. Place half the olive oil in a paella dish or large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and pancetta and cook for 2-3 minutes, until crisp, then remove and set aside. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, until browned, then remove and set aside.

2. Add half the remaining olive oil to the pan with the onion, thyme, three-quarters of the garlic, the chilli flakes and the red pepper and cook over a medium heat for 8 minutes, or until the onion has softened without colouring.

3. Place the stock and saffron in a large saucepan and bring to the boil.

4. Meanwhile, add the rice, bay leaves and paprika to the onion and red pepper mixture and stir to coat the rice in the oil. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Stir in the white wine, lemon juice and hot saffron stock and cook for a further 5 minutes.

5. Fold the chorizo, pancetta and browned chicken into the rice mixture. Cover in damp greaseproof paper and cook gently over a low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the peas, then place the mussels in the pan with the edges that will open facing outwards. Cover and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until all the mussels have opened. Discard any that remain closed. Remove the greaseproof paper and fold in the butter, tomatoes, parsley and grated lemon rind. Season to taste. Cover loosely with kitchen foil to keep warm.

6. Place the remaining olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the remaining garlic and the prawns and fry for 2-3 minutes, turning once, adding the squid for the last minute.

8. Scatter the prawns and squid over the paella and serve immediately