Simple + Delicious Paella
After school I did the gap year thing and spent six months sailing along the Spanish coast with my great uncle David, his wife Lily, and Toffee, their extremely well-travelled dog. The first thing I remember about arriving at David and Lily’s villa in Estepona was having this unbelievably delicious smell float towards me as I walked through the front door. Their housekeeper, who had worked for them for years, always made a special paella on the day they arrived. I had never eaten anything like it and, if you haven’t already guessed, was totally hooked. I’ve made the dish many times since then using various recipes – some really basic and some incredibly lavish – but this one from Jamie Oliver is the one I’ve settled on. It’s simple, tasty and will be a guaranteed hit, whether you’re cooking for two or ten. I love the addition of the spicy chorizo (it’s a subject of much debate amongst aficionados whether it belongs or not) and always add a few slices extra due to my greediness. I find my paella rice at the Sea Point Spar, but you should be able to get hold of some at good delis or online. I also add mussels and clams (there’s that greed again), and prefer to use the Woolies organic liquid chicken stock instead of a cube. But there’s no need to mess with Jamie’s instructions. It’s really, really good just as it is.
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 15 g fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 70 g chorizo
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
• 1 red pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• 1 cube chicken stock
• 300 g paella rice
• 100 g frozen peas
• 200 g frozen peeled cooked prawns
• 1 lemon
Peel and finely slice the garlic, peel and roughly chop the onion and carrot. Finely chop the parsley stalks, then roughly chop the chorizo and chicken thighs. Put a lug of oil into a large lidded shallow casserole or paella pan on a medium heat, add the garlic, onion, carrot, parsley stalks, chorizo, chicken and paprika, and fry for around 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Deseed and chop the pepper, then add to the pan for a further 5 minutes.
Stir through the tomato purée and crumble in the stock cube, then add the rice and stir for a couple of minutes so it starts to suck up all that lovely flavour. Pour in 750ml of boiling water and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Pop the lid on and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, stirring regularly from the outside in and from the inside out, and adding a splash of water if needed. Stir in the peas and prawns, replace the lid, and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until hot through. Season to perfection, then chop the parsley leaves, scatter them over the paella, and serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.
Things you might need, clockwise from left: oval skillet from Le Creuset; Kitchen Craft paella pan from Yuppiechef; Le Creuset signature buffet casserole; Paella Spices With Saffron from Yuppiechef; and Taste of Spain gift box from Yuppiechef.
Foodie pic from here.
