Sometimes
I have a midweek craving for the fragrant flavours and comforting textures of a
Paella. But, Mary Poppins did not load
the fridge with king prawns, squid or mussels.
What to do?
This
recipe is a satisfying compromise that delivers a delicious dinner with the aroma
of smoky paprika and saffron wafting through the kitchen - guaranteed to tempt the
appetites of even the worst sufferers of Wednesday-night-itis.
The
main focus is the flavour, so adapt it to what is in your fridge or what your
family likes – it is a great way to use up a couple of leftovers – maybe there
is 1 pork sausage left from the BBQ? Slice it up and toss it in. This is not meant to be authentic – just a ‘dinner
in progress’ type of cooking. Get the
onions on to soften (the smell will make the family happy to know dinner is on
the way) and then you can chop the ingredients in sequence, add and toss as you
go.
As you
can see from the photo, this time I only had small prawns, no fish, a tiny bit
of leftover lamb roast (that actually turned out
to be a great addition!) and I had a few chicken wings that needed to be used up –
so I only added 2 thigh fillets this time!
Whenever
I cook this paella the essential flavour is the same but the ingredient mix
varies and subtly changes the dish. I’m
sure you get the idea!
TIP: The experts
recommend steeping Saffron strands for 24 hours in a little water to bring out
the complexity of flavours. So, the night before - pop a pinch of saffron strands
into a little water (20ml – 1 tablespoon) in a small glass jar with a lid - and
the next day check out the amazing colour that develops.
If you forget, don’t worry
– even half an hour steeping will help.
You then use the water and the saffron
threads (be sure to rinse jar with another 20 ml of water to catch any hidden
threads – and add this water too) – then add all this saffron / water to the
Paella.
Serves – 4 plus leftovers for 2 lunches
Preparation / Cooking time: 30 minutes (including 10 minutes when you
just keep an eye on it now and then)
You
could even do most of the preparation the night before – the chopping,
measuring rice etc.
Ingredients -
this is a guide and quite flexible – adjust to preference / what is in fridge.
The key is the order of cooking – add what takes longer
first and be aware that the size of the chunks affects cooking time – so not
too big or won’t cook in time, but not so small that ingredients turn to gloop.
NB Fill
the kettle and have boiling water ready to add midway through cooking process
NB Cup of
frozen peas – get out of freezer at start of recipe to defrost – add at end of
recipe
Chicken
wings, Prawns etc - see NOTE below
Splash
of Australian Olive Oil . The chorizo
will release fat so don’t overdo the oil.
2 large
red onions – peeled and cut into slivers
1 red
capsicum – de-seeded and sliced AND / OR
green capsicum if you like
2
garlic cloves – crushed OR chopped. Add
more if you like.
1 long
red chilli – sliced OR just
add a few shakes of dried chilli flakes if you prefer
Few sprigs
of fresh thyme OR generous shake of dried thyme
2 -4
chicken thigh fillets – skinless, boneless, AND trimmed of fat – cut into bite
size pieces
Depends on how much
of the other proteins you are adding. You can mix this up a bit: chop up the
tiny bit of leftover lamb roast, a pork chop, a couple of chicken wings, etc
etc.
You
could also add some chunks of boned firm fish fillets – add before the rice if
using
1 – 1 ½
chorizo sausages (approx. 150g) –sliced (add other leftover sausages, roast meat if
using)
2
heaped teaspoons smoked paprika
Few strips
of charred capsicum – cut into small pieces. Use your own OR the bottled ones
are fine.
500
gram rice – Paella rice OR long grain
rice OR
‘CleverRice’
Dry
sherry – a splash
Pinch
of saffron strands – soaked in dash of water
(refer TIP above)
Pepper –
to taste
Boiling
Water
Handful
of cooked prawns
2 – 3 tomatoes
cut into small-bite chunks (Roma
tomatoes preferred but not essential)
Option –
can use beans instead of peas – prepare as for peas – see above.
Parsley
– good handful – well chopped (reserve some for final garnish)
Salt to
taste
Lemon
wedges
Method
Have
the Kettle full of boiling water ready to add midway through cooking process.
Heat a large
wide stove-top pan over medium heat – not too deep – about 8 cm.
NOTE - If you are using King Prawns or raw chicken wings etc –
cook these in the pan first – remove and keep warm ready to add at the end.
Heat a
splash of Olive Oil in the pan and add the sliced onions, stir and soften
gently.
Stir in
the capsicum, garlic, chilli and thyme.
Add the
chicken pieces, chorizo slices, paprika – stir through and brown chicken pieces.
Allow the chorizo pieces to colour and stir through. Add the charred capsicum. (And
Fish if using)
Tip in
the rice, stir through and ensure all the grains are coated in the golden oil
to separate.
Add a
splash of sherry and the saffron strands and water mixture. Mix through. Grind pepper over.
Gently
push all the ingredients into the rice and smooth the top – gently.
Using
the back of a wooden spoon – slowly pour the boiling water over the back of the
spoon (helps distribute the flow) until the rice mixture is fully immersed and covered
by about 1 cm water.
Simmer for about 10 – 12 minutes.
Keep an eye on it – you don’t want it to dry
out.
Taste a
few grains of rice – may need a couple more minutes OR maybe add a dash more water
Don’t
stir the base in the final 10 minutes – the ideal paella develops a golden
crusty base
Now add
the peas, tomato pieces, parsley (reserve some for final garnish) and cooked
prawns.
Taste and maybe add dash salt or pepper to
your preference – stir without disturbing the crust.
TIP: The addition of the Lemon juice at the end of the
cooking really brings out the flavour – so don’t overdo the salt.
Gently
cook a further 2 minutes to heat through.
Remove the thyme stalks – or tell them to do it later.
Turn
off heat. Cover pan with a clean tea-towel for a couple of minutes- helps
absorb excess moisture
Please check gas is OFF first!!
Sprinkle
over the remaining parsley and a small squeeze of lemon
Place
the reserved and warmed King Prawns or chicken wings etc on top of the Paella
If
you want - you could drizzle a little
Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the top
Take to
table and let everyone dig in.
Serve
with lemon wedges
Enjoy! Colleen
at first I thought this would be too long and fiddly but actually easy as I keep adding and stirring. and most paella is all seafood which I do not like much so this was good flavour for me
ReplyDeleteCooked this last night. Tasted better than some cafes. appreciated the method list as I dont cook much different cooking recipes. Will try another of yours soon.
ReplyDeletewas a rainy night so made this for famly and was a hit even had some for my work lunch left - hope it inspires lunch envy thansk
ReplyDeletethanks this tasted so good. instructions looked long but they were step by step and easy to follow. Just enjoyed the leftovers for lunch and tasted even better than last night.
ReplyDelete