Paella Mixta

Like most during these strange, lockdown times, we make a bigger thing of mealtimes, and especially at the weekends, which for me begin on a Thursday. 

Usually I'd love a wider variety of seafood in a Spanish paella, and some pork belly strips (the fatty meat really helps the flavour) but this is my lockdown version, which includes just 2 chicken thighs, some cooking chorizo and a pack of frozen prawns. I like thighs as they are super juicy and flavourful, but of course use chicken breast if that's what you have or prefer. 

If you don't have a paella pan, use a non-stick frying pan. 

I served with a quickly thrown together aioli - mayonnaise a crushed garlic clove, and a sprinkling of paprika.

The below serves four. 

Paella

Here's how:

• 350g paela rice (or use Arborio/Risotto rice)
• 1 large white onion
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 red pepper
• 130g cooking chorizo
• 2 skinless chicken thighs
• 220g (ish) frozen prawns
• Pinch salt
• Pinch black pepper
• 2g saffron
• Chicken stock (I make up about 2 pints) 
• 3 tbsp frozen peas
• 1 lemon
• Handful fresh parsley leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Firstly pour the olive oil into the paella or frying pan and place on a low heat to warm.

Now peel and finely dice the onion and add to the pan. Mince the garlic clove and add this to the pan. 

Finely chop the red and yellow pepper and add to the pan. 

Make up the chicken stock while the vegetables are softening. Also roughly chop the parsley, and quarter the lemon and set aside until serving. 

Now if you can cut the cooking chorizo into small discs, about the size of a £1 coin and add to the pan to fry with the vegetables. They will exude their own oils and so much flavour into the pan.

Next cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and add to the pan to fry off too.

Now add the rice to the pan, and mix well, so it gets a little fry and is well coated in the now flavour-packed juices and oil from the pan. Season with salt and pepper at this point. Use a wooden spoon to move around and once all of the rice looks wet with the oils, pour over some of the chicken stock, so it completely covers the dish and turn the heat up to medium.

Use a little boiled water or stock in a small cup, and put the 2g of saffron in to stew, (this is about half of one of the pots you can buy in the supermarket). Once the water has turned a golden yellow, add it to the paella. 

In a traditional paella, I understand that you are not supposed to stir the dish, but unless you have a really good paella dish, I'm afraid this will leave you with a huge cleaning job post-cooking as it will likely stick to the pan. Mine was bought for less than £20 on a Spanish holiday a few years back, so I always stir. 

Once the rice has almost absorbed all the stock, add some more; about the same amount again to completely cover and continue to stir every few minutes until the stock is almost absorbed. It's impossible to give an exact measurement of stock, as it does vary with each time I cook a paella or indeed a risotto. So  once the second covering of stock has been almost completely absorbed by the rice, taste the rice to gauge how much cooking in the stock it might need. If it still tastes raw and crunchy, then cover again with the same amount of stock again. If it just has a little bite to it, and feels 'almost' cooked, then pour over less stock. 

When you're happy that it is almost cooked, add the frozen prawns, and the frozen peas and stir through. The prawns will turn pink once cooked, and you don't want to over-do these as they will become rubbery. 

Once the stock is almost completely absorbed, and the prawns are cooked, scatter over the chopped parsley, and add the lemon quarters around the dish, add the aoili if you wish, and then bring to the table to serve. Enjoy!

If you like dishes inspired by Spanish cooking then you may like the below too:

• Spanish Prawns with Chorizo, Tomatoes and Peppers
• Patatas Bravas
• Cod in a Mediterranean Tomato and Garlic Sauce
• Chicken, Chorizo, Peppers and Lentil One Pot
• Pork Cheeks with Mushrooms in Rioja
• Chicken and Chorizo One Pot
• Mediterranean Pork Belly Strips
• Vicky's Special Seafood Stew
• Haddock Baked on a Tomato, Chorizo and Bean Stew

Patatas Bravas - Roast Potato with Spicy Tomato Sauce

This is a tapas staple and relies on a fiery heat in the sauce and I can guarantee once you try it, you'll want to make it again. 

I've experimented with a few variations but this is the best received and is mostly based on the recipe from Rick Stein's Spain book but with the addition of roasted red peppers which also gives a sweetness to balance out the heat. It's incredibly moreish.

As part of a group of tapas dishes, the below will serve 4-6 people. The sauce freezes well so make a big batch and keep it as a stand by dish.

After our recent trip to Madrid, we have a hankering for Spanish food so expect a few more Spanish inspired recipes coming up. This is a completely vegetarian recipe and just omit the aioli or garlic mayonnaise to keep it vegan. 

Patatas Bravas

Here's how:

For the roast potatoes

• 1/2kg white potatoes
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1/2 tsp Tabasco
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 white onion
• 1 tin of tomatoes
• 2 roasted red peppers (from a jar)
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of sugar
• 3 tbsp water

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees and peel and wash the potatoes. Cut them into approximately 1.5-2 cm cubes and ensure you dry them off. 

Now pour the olive oil into a baking tin or dish and throw into the oven to heat through for a few minutes. 

Now pour in the potatoes, scatter about to cover in the oil, season generously and throw in the garlic cloves and cook for 25-30 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.

While the potatoes roast, this is plenty of time to make the sauce.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan, drizzle in the oil and add the dried chilli and paprika first.

Now finely dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the pan to gently saute. 

Roughly chop the pepper and add to the pan with the tomatoes, red wine vinegar, Tabasco, water and bay leaf. 

Stir well and season to taste, with a pinch of sugar too. 

Allow to cook for at least fifteen minutes, until it's bubbling away. Then remove from the heat and allow to cool a little before blitzing it with whatever tool you have (I use a Nutribullet so always have to cool a bit). 

Now once the potatoes are cooked through and the sauce is blended, return the sauce to the pan to gently back through and arrange the potatoes in a ceramic tapas dish, or your choice of serving dish. Then spoon over the sauce - this doesn't need to look precise, it's a very rustic dish. Finish with a spoonful of aioli and serve. 

Tip: If you haven't time to make aioli and are unable to buy any; simply mince a garlic clove and stir through 3 tbsp of mayonnaise with 1/3 tsp paprika instead.

Iberica, Victoria

Spanish food is one of my absolute favourite ways of eating; lots of small plates.

A couple of weeks back, I spent a few hours in the Victoria area with Bridget waiting for my passport, and in the evening Glen joined us for a lovely meal at Iberica in the Zig Zag Building.

Firstly the staff were incredibly welcoming and accommodating of us with the buggy and our rather mischievous 17-month old toddler which is always a good start. We love to eat out but some of our pre-child favourites restaurants aren't very child-friendly. 

The waiter took us through the menu knowledgably, and when we ordered he told us we were ordering a dish or two more than we needed; not that this deterred us.

We ordered the half and half cured meats and cheese selection. The cheeses included mild and creamy manchego (Bridget's favourite) and Urgell; and a softer, smokier one, of which the name escapes me - all equally delicious. The cured meats included spicy chorizo, a really tasty fuet de vic (slithers of a sausage made from the belly and loin of the pig) and the classic lomo or cured pork loin - all delicious and each bringing something different to this delicious board. Accompaniments included quince and Membrillo jelly and complemented the cheeses perfectly. A great start. 

Half and Half Cured Meats and Cheese and Pan Con Tomate

Another board included the pan con tomate or lightly toasted crusty bread topped with flavourful tomatoes. This was good too, but I make this quite often at home and prefer the tomatoes to have a little more bite rather than this paste-like consistency, discussions with a Spanish colleague informed me that each town in Spain has their own way of doing this so I'm in good company apparently.

The stand out dish for me at Iberica was a plate of grilled prawns with mushrooms, cooked in really fragrant garlic oil and not much else. Stunningly simple. A true example of letting a few great ingredients sing together. I'll be attempting to make this at home. 

Also delicious, was the Chicken Chillindron with rosemary roasted potatoes. The chicken was so soft, tender and juicy it was perfection; and surrounded by a warm and sweet tomato sauce, just stunning. The roasted potatoes were tiny, but delicious morsels too. This was a favourite for the three of us. 

Chicken Chillindron

Another great dish was the Iberico Pork Sliders - mini burgers, so moist and tasty and served in brioche buns with a mustard dressing and a pepper - they were only a couple of mouthfuls each, but very, very good ones. 

Iberico Pork Sliders

Glen's favourite dish was the Venison Meatballs which were in a rich a gravy. I'm not fond of venison but did have a nibble and they had plenty of flavour and weren't dry at all, as is often the case.

Venison Meatballs

We also had patatas bravas - roasted potatoes topped with an unctuous, almost sliky and creamy tomato sauce, some plump Manzanilla olives, and Serrano ham croquettes or croquettas served with a strong and superb aioli, again a great dish. 

Serrano Ham Croquettas

This was a fantastic meal and with a Mahou, several soft drinks and a glass of Olorosso sherry came in with service at under £80 which I thought was reasonable given the various dishes.

We love taking Bridget out to eat with us and think it's really important that we do so she learns great table manners and social skills and I never worry about what she might eat as there is always something. I also think it's super important to encourage children to eat lots of different types of foods. Here at Iberica she absolutely loved the ham croquettas, the manchego, the pan con tomate and the meatballs. I had to cut them in half to remove the stone but she also had a few Manzanilla olives with me. She is a true baby or toddler foodie and long may it continue.

There are tons of Spanish style restaurants around London and here are a few tips for some of my favourite dishes or drinks at some of them.

1. The crab croquettas at Barrafina, Adelaide Street are sensational
2. Jose's original Bermondsey tapas bar has the best pan con tomate I've ever had
3. Pix in Soho offers the most wonderful Sangria
4. The Opera Tavern serves simply stunning Iberico Burgers

Spanish Prawns with Chorizo, Tomatoes and Peppers

This is a really lovely Spanish inspired meal that can be on the table in 20 minutes.

I served it last night with a part-baked ciabatta that I baked and allowed to cool for five minutes before serving, some leftover salad from Sunday with Manchego and a quick garlic mayonaise (just crush a clove of garlic into a couple of tablespoons of mayonaise and a pinch of paprika). This served two of us with some left over, but if served with a couple of plates of other Spanish themed treats, it could easily serve 4. 

1 packet raw prawns
2 cooking chorizo sausages
1 red onion
1 clove garlic
1 red chilli
Handful of cherry tomatoes
1 red pepper
1 tbsp fresh parsley
Good glug of olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
Juice of half a lemon

Firstly add the olive oil to a pan or wok and place on a low heat.

Chop the onion and chilli and crush the garlic add to the pan to gently cook down and flavour the oil.

Slice the peppers and chop the tomatoes in half and add to the pan. Season generously and use a wooden spoon or spatula to move around to evenly coat.

Chop the parsley and set aside for a moment.

Chop the chorizo into little £1 coin sized discs and add to the pan. The chorizo will exude plenty of flavour and oil and mixed with the existing ingredients this will start to form a sauce. Allow to cook for 5-10 minutes until the chorizo is cooked through.

Finally add the prawns to the pan and again move around to ensure even cooking. These will cook in a matter of 2-3 minutes, and you can tell as they will turn pink in colour.

As soon as they are cooked remove from the heat and scatter over the parsley.

Plate up onto a sharing plate or platter and then squeeze over the lemon juice and give a final sprinkling of salt and pepper to taste.

Copa de Cava, Blackfriars

After visiting Gizzi Erskine’s organised Spanish Fiesta themed Street Feast with my brother and some friends back in August, my brother’s name got pulled out of a hat by Copa de Cava as the winner of a meal for two at their Blackfriars venue.

Happily Dan asked me to join him, and so we went one cold, wet and dreary Friday evening in September and had a lovely night.

We were welcomed by a team of super friendly staff, one of which absolutely made our evening, so attentive and warm was she in detailing items from the menu and matching us with a Cava that she thought we would both enjoy according to our palates. She was fantastic and this experience really brought home the fact to me, that good staff really can make or break a place. A very good start.

We enjoyed an array of tapas style dishes and continued to be impressed throughout the evening. We started with some Spanish olives in a dressing of Cava vinegar, thyme, rosemary and lemon zest. The olives alone would have been succulent, plump and juicy and full of flavour but this simple marinade truly elevated them.

The second dish was another simple but addictive dish– ‘Pimientos de Padron’ or sautéed green Galician peppers. These were small bite sized peppers coated in coarse sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil after being lightly charred. They were a delight and an intriguing one at that – one bite was never the same as another, some had a much deeper chilli heat than others – all were divine.

We had a board of charcuterie that was superb. It comprised of chorizo, lomo Iberico, Teruel D.O. Jamon and something I had never tried before but instantly fell in love with – fuet. Fuet is a Catalan speciality, cured pork sausage meat in a pork gut (this concept reminded me a little of a faggot). The meat was so soft and tender that it literally melted in the mouth and whilst it was quite salty, the flavours were just amazing. The charcuterie came with a selection of little bready bites – it would be a great plate of food to enjoy with a friend or two over a few drinks if you were only looking for a snack.

Patatas Bravas came in an unusual way – little cyclinders of fluffy potato in a crisp, delicious coating – I’m not sure how they were cooked, they didn’t taste as if they had been fried, so I’ve no idea how they had such a glorious outside, but I would love to find out. The sauce was smoky with paprika, smooth and velvety – my only complaint would be that in the interests of keeping the dish looking dainty, not enough sauce was given – I could have devoured much more of it.

The next two dishes were our final ones and they really had saved the best two till last. We had octopus with an olive oil mash and I just don’t know where to start. I’m a big fan of octopus anyway, but often it can be too chewy and have a rubbery texture from being overcooked, not so at Copa de Cava. I would hazard a guess that this had been slowly braised on a gentle heat, so tender and wonderful was the final result with just a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of paprika over it to complete it. Served on gorgeously soft mash which had a pepperiness from the olive oil and just the right amount of salt to complement the octopus perfectly. An absolute triumph. The photo is unfortunately not giving this dish justice, due to the lighting and my keenness to start eating the dish.

Our final plate was the favourite for both of us – Presa Iberica, shoulder of rare Iberico pig, with pearly barley, Iberico ham and Manchego. The pork was cooked rare and as with the octopus it was soft, tender and melt in the mouth. It was quite a strong flavour, with an almost game-like quality to it. Personally I loved the accompaniment which was basically a risotto of pearl barley instead of rice – or at least that’s how it both appeared and tasted. Creamy pearl barley that still had a slight crunch or bite to it was flavoured with salty Iberico ham and topped with a generous grating of Manchego cheese – fantastic.

We chose a bottle of the Reserva Aria Segura Viudas after a helpful chat with the waitress. We loved its almost smoky yet light and delicate flavour – it was selected as I said how much I love wines flavoured with peach and apricots, and this fitted the bill perfectly. We also had a glass of the Semi Seco Valarnau Demi Sec ‘Barceona’ to start off with, which was also enjoyable, yet a little drier than the bottle we had.

Copa de Cava is pitted as more of a Cava bar than a restaurant, but there are some seriously good dishes on the menu and I would certainly return. It’s a particularly good spot for catching up with friends. The downstairs section or ‘cave’ where we sat was cosy, warm and busy with a great atmosphere – in short a great venue.

If you’re a fan of Spanish food and Cava then this place is just waiting for you.

Chicken and Chorizo One Pot

Aside from a little pre-frying and chopping the majority of the cooking for this is all done in one pot which is always a winner.

Most butchers and supermarkets sell thighs in a packet, sometimes along with drumsticks and they are usually more economical than breast meat – not to mention fattier, hence filled with far more flavour.

This is a warming, casserole packed full of flavour and is lovely on cold winter nights. I served it, this week, with some simple plain boiled rice and salad, but you could have it alone with fresh bread or with potatoes.

The chorizo gives a Spanish hue and with that end, I added a splash of Cava, purely as I had some in the fridge, but any dry white wine will do.

Serves 4:

Here’s how:      

8 chicken thighs or drumsticks

200g chorizo

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 courgette

Tin of cannellini beans

2 tbsp Cava or dry white wine

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp dried thyme

1 red chilli

½ cup of chicken stock

Salt and black pepper

2 tbsp hot paprika

Firstly slice the onion and chill and crush the garlic and add to a casserole dish. Chop the courgette into small cubes and add to the dish. Drain the beans and add to the dish with the chopped tomoates and the cava or wine.

Next chop the chorizo into small chunks, and add to a pan on a medium heat – no oil is needed here. While these are cooking, pour a couple of tablespoons of olive oil onto a chopping board and season liberally with the salt and pepper. Then add 1 tbsp each of the dried thyme and the paprika and coat each of the chicken pieces in the oil.

Once the chorizo is seared, use a slotted spoon and add to the casserole dish.

In the same pan, sear the chicken pieces 2-3 at a time, ensuring to sear all over. Then add each piece to the casserole dish.

Finally add the ½ cup of stock to the dish and stir through to ensure each piece of chicken is covered with the liquid and stir through the remaining herbs and spices, salt and pepper.

Place the lid on top and cook for 45 minutes to an hour at 180 degrees. If you prefer a thicker consistency you can add a little cornflour in towards the end, but it is a lovely juicy consistency perfect with rice or bread. Enjoy!

Fino

A Spanish SensationAfter an incredibly glutinous week of celebrating my own birthday, it was time to pass the birthday baton over to someone else - my wonderful Dad. He's long been a fan of Spanish fare since his and my Mum's very first trip abroad together to Majorca nearly 30 years ago and has even gone to the trouble of purchasing an authentic and very large paella pan from a catering supplier. He has perfected a mixed meat and seafood paella which is only for special occasions and which I can vouch is quite sensational.
Fino on Charlotte Street was the allotted venue for our celebratory meal and we were booked in early last Saturday evening, 630, the earliest and in fact the only table we could get.
We were led down to the smart basement restaurant and invited to begin with a drink in the bar. We ordered a jug of their Cava Sangria and this was a refreshingly fruity and colourful affair, very pretty to look at and the kind of drink that would go down well all evening.
We were also brought over two little ramekins of plump, firm and very tasty green olives. They were divine and as two amongst our 6 detest olives, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit the other four of us demolished these in a couple of minutes flat. Happily these were soon replenished by the friendly Spanish barman.
We had ordered one of the specials, half a suckling piglet, prior to our visit, so our plan was to get a few little dishes or tapas to whet our appetite for the main event. However we found it difficult to resist ordering a lot of dishes, so many sounded great.
We began with a platter of cold Spanish meats, prawn croquettas and red pepper croquettas with bread and oil. The meats were all tasty, particularly the Serano and chorizo. Both croquettes were good but the red pepper ones won my flavour vote by a margin, these were sweet, hot and extremely moreish, I could have easily eaten a whole portion.

Vanessa, our impeccable waitress, was an excellent source of knowledge, she gladly advised us on the specials, her favourites, and explained what certain things were on the menu that we hadn't before experienced. Also when the bread arrived and we requested some aioli as well as the oils, she obliged quickly and approvingly.

Our next course was a medley of seafood, and if the first course was good, this was incredible. My family are real fish and seafood fans and this did not disappoint. We had clams, razor clams, sardines and squid and it is fair to say that when they arrived our mouths were collectively watering, not only did it look great, the smells were enticing too.

The clams were frankly the best I've ever had. They were slightly salty, but this was complemented by the rich and creamy garlicy butter that they'd been cooked and served in, it was an amazing taste and I'm not ashamed to admit I dipped bread straight into that sauce as if I were eating in the comfort of my own home, it was too good not to.
The squid was also good, it was crispy in a light batter and we agreed we thought it was very similar to the way squid is often prepared in Chinese cookery - with salt and pepper and a little chilli heat. These also had the hint of paprika which gave a lovely smokiness. They were great dipped in the aioli too.
I must confess sardines are one of my Dad's favourites, however I've generally found them to be far too bony and fiddly, with not very much meat on them to bother with, and never carrying much flavour. I've decided they deserve a second chance after tasting the juicy, garlicy wonders we were presented with. They were very easy to de-bone and quite big compared to others I've had - to be honest even if they were tiny the flavour of them would have been well worth the effort. As well as garlic there was a little parsley and some citrussy lemon and lime to. The simple flavour combination worked perfectly and this was yet another dish that didn't last very long at all.
Finally on the sea-front, we had razor clams. I'm afraid these were not for me, but I've never enjoyed these whenever I've had them before, despite them being a bit of a favourite in my family, especially in Chinese food. I find them too rubbery a texture to enjoy. General agreement around the table was that they were in fact excellent, so don't be deterred if you're a fan, its more personal preference than anything else.

Next up was our piece de resistance, the star attraction of the meal, our suckling piglet. At risk of sounding like an advert for the restaurant, this too was just fantastic. The crackling was gorgeously crispy - I always feel crackling's such a naughty indulgence anyway it almost adds to the enjoyment, like a guilty pleasure. The meat was pierced with sprigs of rosemary and there was mint and parsley present too which gave the tender meat and the beautiful juices it was cooked in some truly wonderful taste sensations. The mint was subtle enough to just enhance the flavour without overpowering as it can easily do.
Alongside the meat we had some olive oil mash - creamy and delicious if a little cooler in temperature than we'd have liked, some 'Fino Chips' which turned out to be just chips, nothing to write home about, a mixed green leaf salad which had a fabulously simple citrussy dressing on and some kale, which like the chips was a bit of a non-event. It was a good main course, although the half (£75), recommended for up to 6 people, was still quite large, and it's probable we'd have enjoyed more of it had we not had quite so many dishes leading up to it.

Only the ladies managed dessert and between us we had a crema catalina, a chocolate shot and chocolate soup. Mum had the crema catalina, and it was large enough for two people, which was good as we all got to try some. It was lovely with an orangey, Grand Marnier flavour. The chocolate soup was just that; dark chocolate, warm, runny and heavenly with a good dollop of vanilla chantilly cream for good measure. I'd opted for the white and dark chocolate shot, and while it was a taste treat to say the least, it was a mere mouthful and greedy me was left slightly disappointed and wanting more - nothing new there.

Some deliciously dry Spanish Moscatel sherry completed the superb meal for the men.

Fino is the rare London gem, a restaurant that is expert in one area and doesn't deviate or try to juggle too many balls. The food throughout was exceptional, and as I mentioned our waitress was a dream compared to many of her clueless contemporaries I have encountered in the capital.

The meal came in at just under the £300 mark, including a £31 service charge, so isn't cheap at around £50 per head, but we did order in excess of what was essential, after all this was a celebration. And Daddy picked up the bill - as I stated at the beginning of this post, he is wonderful!
Fino, 33 Charlotte St, London, W1T 1RR. 0207 813 8010

www.finorestaurant.com