A great paella recipe for 4 people
Ingredients:
Pinch of saffron threads
250ml boiling water
1 teaspoon turmeric
125ml olive oil
4 chicken thighs, boneless, diced 2cm
3 La Boqueria Chorizo, sliced
1 red capsicum, cut into strips
1 medium brown onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large ripe tomato, diced
1 teaspoon Sweet Paprika
400g Spanish Paella rice
250g frozen peas
4 Piquillo peppers, cut into strips
Salt and ground black pepper
1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
Method
Infuse saffron in the cup of boiling water, set aside to steep. In a saucepan bring the chicken broth and turmeric to a simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside and keep warm. Heat olive oil in a 38cm paella pan or large casserole pot over medium high heat. Fry chicken until golden brown and cooked through, remove from pan and set aside. Add the chorizo to pan and allow to colour, stir in red capsicum and cook for 1 minute. Add the onion, garlic, tomato and paprika and sauté until soft - approximately 5 minutes. Remove half the chorizo and set aside.
Add the rice, stirring for a couple of minutes until translucent. Add the peas to the rice and immediately pour the saffron infusion over the rice mix, shake the pan so the infusion seeps into rice and the ingredients are distributed evenly.
Add the broth to the rice mixture without stirring, let it come to the boil then reduce heat to medium. Add the chicken back in and shake to allow the chicken to settle into the rice then cook for approximately 20 minutes, without stirring.
When the liquid has almost all evaporated and small holes appear where the steam is escaping from the rice (see note), remove from the heat. Arrange the piquillo peppers in a wheel spoke design over the rice. Cover the paella pan with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges, to be squeezed over the Paella.
Note:
If you’re feeling adventurous you can continue to cook the rice over the heat until the steam stops escaping and disappears, this is where you will develop the crispy browned crust on the bottom of the pan called the socarrat which is delicious.
We suggest a pan size of 38cm however if you are an experienced paella cook and prefer a thinner, slightly crispier paella, you could cook in a pan anywhere between a 38cm – 46cm.
