Paella

Chris Seaton

Ingredients

  • 1/2 whole chicken. And/or extra chicken bones chopped in chunks
  • |- you can just use chicken breast in bite size pieces
  • 1/2 Por shoulder in bite size chunks with fat from top seperated
  • Olive oil
  • 3 Cloves diced garlic
  • 2 onions diced
  • 1/4 cup Peas (optional - whatever kind you can get easily)
  • 1 handful (or 1/4 cup) Green beans cut in half or thirds
  • 3 diced plum tomatoes
  • 1 small handful (or 1/4 cup) chopped parsley
  • Water
  • 1 dessert spoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon saffron or 1 dessert spoon Safflower
  • 1 fire-roasted red bell pepper sliced
  • 1 dessert spoon smoked paprika
  • 1 bayleaf
  • 1-2 lemon wedges
  • 1 cup rice (roughly - the type won’t make a big difference)

Directions

  • Add olive oil to a paella dish (or a wider than shallow pan) and get hot.
  • Add the onions and caramelise them. I like to add a tiny bit of water to prevent them from burning. If you don’t like caramelised onions, add them in the next step.
  • Add the meats and pork fat (and extra bones if you have them) to the pan and let it cook for a few minutes. Then add garlic and remove the meat once they get a bit of colour in the outside (leave the bones in)
  • Add the peas, beans and tomatoes. Cook for a further couple minutes before adding the paprika, saffron/Safflower, lemon juice and bay leaf. Mix together and cook for another minute
  • Add water until it’s 3/4 way up the dish. Mix together.
  • Let the water come to a boil and then turn the heat down, leaving it to simmer for 45 minutes. Check on it every now and again. Add more water if it’s looking low.
  • Add the meats back in and simmer for a further 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes remove any extra bones and fat and the bayleaf.
  • Turn the heat back onto full and add the red peppers, parsley and rice. Mix it all together
  • Let it cook until the rice is fully done and almost all of the water is fully soaked up.(trying to avoid mixing or moving anything in the dish)
  • Serve on the table still on the dish and add the lemon wedge/s, some additional chopped parsley and (only if you used Safflower) Safflower for garnish. Serve.