PAELLA

6 tbsps olive oil

250g boneless chicken thighs cut into pieces

1 chopped large red onion

5 finely chopped garlic cloves

200g sliced chorizo sausage

1 tin of peeled Italian tomatoes (chopped up)

5 cups of chicken stock

pinch of saffron threads

1 red capsicum seeded and cut into pieces

12 large green prawns

21/2 cups of Calasparra rice

1-2 tsps of sweet smoked paprika

flat-leaf parsley and lemon wedges for garnish

Heat the oil in your paella pan over a medium heat. Add the chicken pieces and sauté till golden. Add the onions and garlic. Once the onion is soft and translucent add the chorizo. Once it begins to release its oil add the tomatoes (chopped), saffron and stock.

Bring to the boil, scraping the bottom of the pan and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Add the rice and paprika, stir then place the prawns and capsicum on top. I also add a generous handful of frozen peas.

Simmer uncovered for approx 20mins. Test the rice and when done to your liking remove the pan from the heat, cover loosely with foil and stand in a warm place for 10mins. This is an important step as it allows any remaining liquid to be absorbed, resulting in the ‘dry’ rice that is typical of paella.

To serve – remove the foil and garnish with chopped parsely and lemon wedges. Let everyone serve themselves. Serves 6.

Note: I often also add mussels. Steam 2-3 mussels per person till just opened. Strain the resulting liquid and use it to replace some of the chicken stock. Place the opened mussels on top of the paella just before the end of the cooking time.