My Dad’s Paella
My Dad’s paella: using chicken, rabbit, prawns, mussels, squid and rich spicy chorizo to give depth to the flavour.
Servings
6-8
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large Spanish onion, sliced
- 3–4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- 6 chicken thighs, skinned
- 100g bacon, diced
- 75g spicy Spanish chorizo
- 400g Arborio rice
- 1.25 litres Chicken stock
- 100ml white wine
- Pinch of saffron or ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp thyme leaves
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 3–4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 200g baby squid, cut into rings
- 75g frozen peas
- 500g mussels, cleaned
- 12 large prawns, peeled and deveined, but heads left on
- Handful of parsley, chopped
- 4 lemons, cut into wedges
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Heat the oil in a paella pan or large frying pan. When hot, fry the onion, garlic and peppers for a few minutes, until slightly softened. Add the chicken thighs and cook for about 10 minutes, depending on size, until nearly tender. Add the bacon and chorizo, then stir in the rice, coating it in the oil, and cook for 2–3 minutes.
- Pour in half the stock and half the wine, then stir in the saffron, thyme and paprika. Season and bring to the boil, then simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally and checking to see if the rice is sticking. As the liquid reduces, stir in the remaining wine and stock. By this point the rice should be al dente.
- Stir in the tomatoes, squid and peas, taste and season, and cook for a further 2–4 minutes. Tuck the mussels and prawns into the paella, cover with foil and cook for a further five minutes, until the shells open – discard any that remain closed. To serve, sprinkle with the parsley and more freshly ground pepper, and dot the lemon wedges around the pan.
© Alex Hollywood. Recipes taken from My Busy Kitchen by Alex Hollywood (Hodder & Stoughton £25)
