Five Step Paella
Making paella can be sometimes daunting, however, I have translated this traditional Spanish fare into 5 easy steps.
This recipe works very well in a large heavy based pan, however, I did actually go out and purchase a wonderful, heavy bottomed based dish specifically for paella and it not only the gave the paella that really authentic look, I am quite sure it made it taste even better.
Ole so easy!
6 - 8
25 minutes
30 - 40 minutes
150°C
Ingredients
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8 tbsp olive oil
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6 cloves garlic- peeled
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2 pinches of saffron
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6 tbsp fresh parsley- chopped
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6 small chicken breasts- cut into chunks
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600g tomatoes- peeled, deseeded and chopped
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2 mixed peppers- deseeded and chopped
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1 tbsp paprika
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450g short grain rice- washed and drained
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1 litre chicken stock
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350g squid- cleaned and sliced
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12 mussels- scrubbed (optional and when available)
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150g frozen peas
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1kg frozen shelled prawns- defrosted
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12 whole prawns in their shells
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2 lemons- cut into wedges to garnish
Instructions
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Step ONE
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01 Heat half the oil in a large ovenproof pan. Add half the garlic and then fry over a medium heat for 3 mins. Remove garlic and place in a mortar or herb processor. Add saffron and pound/process together. Set aside. Reserve about 1 tbsp of the parsley, and then add remainder to the pan. Fry for 10 secs until crispy, remove from pan and mix well with garlic saffron mixture.
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Step TWO
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02 Heat 2 tbsp oil in the pan. Add chicken and fry for 5 mins over medium heat. Remove. Slice the remaining garlic and add to the pan together with the tomatoes and peppers. Cook for 2-3 mins then stir in the paprika. Remove everything from the pan.
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Step THREE
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03 Heat the remaining oil in the pan. Add rice, cook for 2 mins, stirring. Add garlic, saffron and parsley mixture and half the stock. Bring to the boil; boil rapidly for 6-7 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add remaining stock to the pan and stir. Now add shelled prawns and squid.
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Step FOUR
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04 Add the frozen peas, tomato and paprika pepper mixture followed lastly by the chicken pieces. Now add the cleaned, whole mussels. Cover with a lid and place in a moderate oven for 30 - 40 minutes.
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Step FIVE
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05 Discard any mussels that do not open. Sprinkle reserved parsley over the top, garnish with lemon wedges. Serve straight from the pan with crusty bread.
Notes
Make sure you have all the ingredients prepared and ready to go before you start following the 5 steps, and make sure you use a large oven proof heavy based pan with a lid, or use tin foil to create the top cover.
