Saturday 20 November 2010

Paella

A half-remembered recipe which worked out fine last night, this serves three or four.

Chorizo - four banger-sized sausages or a ring, sliced to about a £2 coin width
Two free-range chicken breasts, skin on
250g paella rice
A small onion and a shallot or two, finely chopped
Garlic, three or four cloves, finely chopped
Three or four ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
Raw king prawns, as many as you want
A sprig of fresh thyme
A teaspoon of paprika
A big pinch of cayenne pepper, and another of saffron
A small glass of dry white wine
A large glass of dry white wine
Just under a litre of chicken stock
A handful of frozen peas
Olive oil
Sliced pancetta, if you want - but watch out for the salt

Heat the oven to about 180.
Set the saffron to infuse in the chicken stock over a low heat.
Heat the olive oil in a big - proper big - pan, enough to cover the base. Season and brown the chicken, skin side down first, then transfer to the oven for 25 mins to half an hour.
Add a bit more oil to the pan if necessary and then fry the chorizo (and pancetta, if using) till they start to crisp.
Tip in the onions and shallots and soften.
Make a hole in the middle and slide in the tomatoes, cooking till they begin to make a paste.
Add the garlic, paprika and cayenne pepper, stir and cook for a couple of minutes.
Pour in the small glass of white wine, turn up the heat and bubble. Start to drink the big glass.
When the wine has reduced, stir in the rice and cook for four to five minutes. Then add the stock. Throw in the thyme, bring to the boil then simmer for around twenty minutes till the rice has absorbed most of the liquid.
Add the prawns and peas, cover the pot and leave for up to five minutes, till the prawns are nicely pink and the peas cooked.