Recipe: Paella

Feeding the Family

Recipes

Published on Thursday, 10 September 2020 13:31

Last Updated on 10 September 2020

Monica Costa

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The lovely Justine Murphy has sent her recipe for Paella to make with the kids. This meal is among the 160 refined sugar-free recipes for everyday eating published in The mymuybueno Cookbook. What I love about this book is that she tells little stories about the inspiration behind each recipe. Try this meal with your family and let us know what you think.

5 tbsp sunflower oil

4 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless

150g chorizo, cut into small dice

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

1½ litres vegetable or chicken stock

½ tsp saffron strands

350g paella rice

1 tsp smoked paprika

12 small clams, cleaned

12 mussels, cleaned and debearded

100g frozen peas

1 large tomato, cut into small dice

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

12 large raw prawns, deveined

1 medium squid, cleaned and sliced into rings

4 langoustines (optional)

5 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

Pinch of flaked sea salt

Grind of black pepper

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Method

Add a tablespoon of sunflower oil to a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the chicken thighs and leave them to brown for 3 minutes on each side, put to one side, and cover with foil to keep warm.

Next, heat two tablespoons of oil in a paella or large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chorizo and fry until the oils are starting to release, then add the garlic, onion and pepper to cook until softened. Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a saucepan and add the saffron into it. Mix well. Now add the paella rice to the paella pan and stir quickly until all the grains are completely coated and glossy. Add the paprika and pour in the hot saffron chicken stock. Wedge the chicken thighs deeply in the rice with just the tops showing.

Over the next 15 minutes, add extra water, 100ml at a time, as the rice starts to absorb the stock. Be careful not to add too much though, and stay with it, as you don’t want the bottom layer to catch and burn or the rice to dry out. Add the clams, mussels, peas and chopped tomato, then continue to cook the gently bubbling paella for another 10 to 15 minutes while it continues to absorb liquid.

Clean and dry your chicken pan, heat one tablespoon of oil and then add half the garlic. Once it has started to brown, add the prawns two or three at a time so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Cook on both sides until all the prawns are done, adding a little more oil if needed. Place on a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb excess grease, then add the prawns to your paella.

Clean and dry the pan again, place on a medium heat and add the last tablespoon of oil. When the oil is really bubbling, add the remaining garlic and then the squid rings. Give them 10 seconds in the pan to get some colour, turning to cook both sides, then evenly distribute the squid in the paella. Finally, add the langoustines (if using) to the frying pan and allow the heat to cook them on all sides for 1 minute. Carefully transfer them into the paella.

Scatter the chopped parsley over the paella, season with salt and pepper then serve immediately with lots of lemon wedges and aioli (p.190).