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| Our paella -- Recipes for paella |
Transport the quintessential flavours of the Mediterranean into your kitchen with our delicious recipe for paella.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 chicken thighs, boned, skinned, cut in half (about 600g/1lb 5oz)
- 150g/5oz cooking chorizo, skinned and cut into 5mm/¼in slices
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 300g/10½oz fresh large tomatoes, halved, seeds removed, flesh grated (then skin discarded)
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 1.5 litres/2½ pints hot chicken stock
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 200g/7oz green beans, cut into short lengths
- 500g/1lb 2oz paella rice
- 1 tsp saffron threads, soaked in a little warm water
- couple handfuls live mussels, cleaned, de-bearded and rinsed (discard any mussels that do not snap shut when tapped)
- 12 raw king prawns
- lemon wedges, to serve
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Heat the oil in a 36cm/14in paella pan or a very large frying pan set over a medium heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt and freshly ground black pepper and fry for five minutes, turning regularly until lightly coloured. Add the chorizo and cook for a further minute.
- Add the garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes, then push everything to one side. Add the tomatoes and fry for a few minutes, then mix everything together and sprinkle in the paprika and lemon zest. Pour in all but a large ladleful of the chicken stock and return to the boil. Add the bay leaves, thyme and green beans and season with a little salt.
- When the chicken stock has returned to the boil, turn down to a simmer and sprinkle in the rice, trying to get it into as even a layer as possible. Pour in the saffron and stir – this is the only time you should stir your paella once the rice has been added! Bring to the boil again, then simmer for 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat down and leave the rice to simmer slowly – this should take between 12–15 minutes. If it is getting dry, taste – if still a little too firm (crunchy), add a little more stock. When you are satisfied the rice is al dente, arrange the mussels and prawns over the paella. Cover with a damp teacloth or a lid if you have one and wait for the mussels to steam open and the prawns to turn pink. Serve with lemon wedges.
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