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.