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Paella
Paella should be enjoyed straight out of the pan with family and friends as a communal dish. Paella usually has a layer of toasted rice at the bottom of the pan.
Ingredients
Pinch saffron
½ cup white wine
2 cups fresh chicken stock
¼ cup olive oil
3 cloves fresh garlic, finely sliced
100g chicken thigh, skinned, boned and cut into 2cm dice
100g choritzo sausage, thinly sliced
60g red capsicum, thinly sliced
60g green capsicum, thinly sliced
100g white medium grain rice
100g fresh tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil, for seafood
100g prawn cutlets, deveined
100g squid, cut into rings
100g shrimps
2 tablespoons white wine
12 mussels, scrubbed and debearded
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 fresh lemons, cut into wedges
Sea salt and cracked pepper for seasoning
Preparation
Put the saffron and1stmeasure of wine in a small saucepan and place over a low heat for 10 minutes. In another pot warm the chicken stock.
Put 1st measure of oil in a large based paella pan and place over a medium heat. Add the garlic, chicken, choritzo, red and green capsicum and fry for 3-4 minutes.
Add rice to the pan and sauté for 3-4 minutes until the rice starts to go clear. Add the saffron infused wine, tomato, smoked paprika and cum into pan and cook for a further 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
Pour chicken stock over the rice and lower the heat. Stir occasionally and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the stock.
Place another pan over a high heat and add the 2nd measure of oil. Add the prawns and squid and sauté. Season with salt and pepper and put to one side in a warm place.
Heat a pan with a tight fitting lid over a high heat and then add the cleaned mussels and 2ndmeasure of wine. Cover with a lid and steam for 5-6 minutes until muscle shells just start to open.
Drain the mussels in a colander and reserve the cooking liquor. Add the liquor to the rice. Any mussels that haven't opened should be discarded and the remainder set aside in a warm place.
When the paella rice has absorbed all the stock you should continue cooking for a little while so the rice develops a slight crust on the bottom of the pan. (do not allow to burn!) Gently stir through the cooked prawns, squid, shrimps and the chopped parsley.
Garnish the pan with the mussels and lemon wedges and serve in the centre of the table for guests to help themselves.
This is considered a delicacy in Spain and is essential to a good paella. If you don't have a paella pan any shallow wide pan will substitute.
Recipe by Sarah Searancke Catering
Serves 6
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