Paella – almost, kind of, sort of.

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