Ah paella. The mere sound of it takes me straight to Spain. And not, God forbid, pronounced in the British way but, rather, with its original clicking sound. The recipe below is not mine (I wish) as I do not know Spanish cuisine that good as to conjure up such an exquisite dish. It is Simon Hopkinson’s, the food writer and TV chef. It also passed the test of a real Spanish food lover’s taste, so it must be good.
There’s something deeply satisfactory about paella. Be it the rice, the abundance of ingredients or the mixture of shellfish and chicken (an authentic one calls for both indiscriminately), it makes such a perfect autumn/winter dish, not to mention how good it is when tasted during the warmer season. Be generous with portions too! The quantities indicated below serve 4, but believe me it would be enough for 3 greedy and hungry people. I have slightly adapted the ingredients and their quantities because the marketplace is a wonderful place to shop at, but does not unfortunately respond nicely to the tiny quantities of fish required below. Therefore, I went a bit commando with it.
Ingredients
- 150g chorizo sausage, cut into small coins and then halved
- 1 squid, cleaned and cut into rings
- 350g chicken thigh fillet, cut into small pieces
- 100ml dry sherry
- 200g cherry tomatoes
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp paprika
- 150g green beans, sliced
- 150g sweet red peppers from a jar, thickly sliced
- 1 tsp saffron threads
- 600ml hot chicken stock
- 300g paella rice
- 750g mussels, debearded and well washed (or already shelled, like in my case)
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
Ingredients (for the decoration)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 5 tbsp olive oil
Method
- Use a large pan (I rely on my flat and very versatile Le Creuset pan) to heat some olive oil and then fry the chorizo slices until crisped up and the orange fat runs. Lift them out of the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate. Now introduce the squid and very briefly sliced until coloured. Remove with the slotted spoon and add to the chorizo.
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then tumble in the pan and cook until golden brown for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put the sherry, cherry tomatoes, garlic and paprika in a food processor and whiz until smooth. Push the mixture through a fine sieve, then add to the pan once the chicken is nicely coloured. Bring up to a simmer.
- Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomato mixture has thickened.
- Now add the beans, peppers and saffron, then carefully pour in the chicken stock. Stir all together and bring to the simmer once again. Sprinkle the rice into the liquid and stir well, making sure it is evenly distributed among the chicken and the vegetables.
- Once you have done this, try not to stir the paella again and cook over a moderate heat for 20 minutes. Truth is I did stir to avoid catching at the bottom. I suggest that if your pan is not entirely non-stick you do that too. Cook until you can see the rice puffing up.
- Remove the paella from the heat and clamp the lid on. Leave to stand for about 5 minutes, then remove the lid and return to the heat. Add the mussels, chorizo and squid to the pan and cook, stirring, for another 2-3 minutes, then remove from the heat for the final time and steam with the lid on for another 5 minutes. This not only ensure the fish is completely cooked, but also keeps the rice very moist.
- To decorate, mix the ingredients together and trickle over the paella. Serve at once and enjoy.
Baking with Attitude 