Basic Spanish Paella
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Fresh mussels
Dry white wine
2T finely chopped onion
4T finely chopped parsley
Chicken pieces
Chorizo, cut into cubes or slices
Grapeseed oil
Lobster / Crayfish tails
Prawns
1 red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
A few peppadews, cut into strips
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼t cayenne pepper
½t saffron
1½ cups chicken stock
500g uncooked rice (I used long grain)
Method
1. Steam mussels in dry white wine with the 2T each finely chopped onion and parsley, until shells open.
2. Strain juice and reserve.
3. Sauté chicken in the oil in a paella or large frying pan until golden on both sides.
4. Steam crayfish for 7 minutes and set aside.
5. Flash-fry the prawns until they just turn pink, and set aside.
6. Add the red onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until transparent. Add tomatoes and pappedews and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
7. Return the chicken, add the juice from the mussels, season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper and heat through.
8. Mix the parsley and saffron into the concoction, as well as the stock. Allow this to come to the boil.
9. Add the rice and cook, uncovered, for about 15 minutes without stirring. Stir well and cook until tender.
10. When cooked, stir well, add the mussels, prawns, chorizo and lobster (keeping a few tails in their shells for presentation) and heat through - make sure not to cook for long as this will dry out the seafood.
11. Serve with lemon wedges.
