Paella Valenciana
Paella Valenciana
This traditional slow cooking method creates a crunchy caramelised base, the “socarrat”, which is stirred into the finished
dish to turbo charge the flavour. For the ultimate Paella use
short-grained Calasparra or Bomba rice, which absorb up to
50% more of the infused stock than other varieties.
Serving in a paella pan is more authentic, but you can achieve
the same great taste by cooking in a wide heavy-based frying
pan. The key is to maximise the rice in direct contact with the
heat.
Ingredients
- 1 generous pinch saffron
- 1 litre hot chicken stock
- 450g chicken thighs
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 200g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 150g spicy chorizo, peeled and diced
- 1 tsp sweet paprika (pimenton dulce)
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped
- 400g calasparra rice
- 125g garden peas
- Small bunch parsley, chopped
- 1 lemon
- Salt & freshly ground pepper
Instructions
1. Toast the saffron stamens in a dry pan for 30 seconds to release their aromatic oils, and then crumble into the hot stock to infuse for 15 minutes. 2. Chop the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces,
season and fry in a large saucepan (or paella pan if
you have one) until sealed and golden. Keep to
one side. 3. To make the sofrito, sweat the onions and garlic in
the same pan until just starting to colour then add
the chopped tomatoes and fry over a high heat
until you have a thick dark paste (about 15 minutes). 4. Add the chorizo, paprika, rosemary and red
peppers. Mix and fry for a few minutes more. 5. Add the rice to the pan and fry for 1-2 minutes
until the grains are slightly toasted. 6. Add the stock and peas to the pan,
mixing to ensure the grains are covered, then add
the sealed chicken and bring to the boil. 7. Simmer for a further 20 minutes then cover
with foil and turn the heat to high for 60-75 seconds. 8. Turn off the heat and leave for 5-10 minutes to
rest. Stir in the caramelised base, the parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice
before serving.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: Serves 4