The recipe we use for paella is by Jaime Oliver. It’s simple and easy to make. Sometimes we can leave out some ingredients or change them up a bit, and it would still taste great. But that’s paella for you – you can put in practically whatever you like or whatever’s available in your pantry, and it will come out great, with your own culinary signature to boot.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 15 g fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 70 g chorizo
  • 2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • olive oil
  • 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 cube chicken stock
  • 300 g paella rice
  • 100 g frozen peas
  • 200 g frozen peeled cooked prawns
  • 1 lemon

Directions:

1. Peel and finely slice the garlic, and peel and roughly chop the onion and carrot. Finely chop the parsley stalks, then roughly chop the chorizo and chicken thighs. Put one tablespoon of oil into a large lidded shallow casserole or paella pan on a medium heat, add the garlic, onion, carrot, parsley stalks, chorizo, chicken and paprika, and fry for around 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Deseed and chop the pepper, then add to the pan for a further 5 minutes.

2. Stir through the tomato puree and crumble in the stock cube, then add the rice and stir for a couple of minutes as it starts to suck up the flavor. Pour in 750 ml of boiling water and add a pinch of salt and pepper. pop the lid on and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, stirring regularly from the outside in and from the inside out, adding a splash of water if needed. Stir in the peas and prawns, replace the lid, and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until hot through. Season to perfection, then chop the parsley leaves, scatter them over paella, and serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.

Vamos a comer!