Chorizo and Seafood Paella

See hints in making great Paella.

Chorizo and Seafood Paella

Serves 6  45cm pan

Ingredients

100g semi-cured chorizo, sliced into ½ cm rounds

2 squid or calamari tubes, sliced into 1 cm rounds

8 large green prawns

16 black mussels

1 tbsp olive oil

¼ cup sofrito (recipe above)

1 cup bomba rice or marisma rice

4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, cored and diced

Pinch saffron threads (Soaked in warm broth 5mins)

750ml (3 cups) water

100ml white wine

1 roasted capsicum, diced

Salt, to taste

Chopped parsley, to serve

Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

1. Place a paella pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and chorizo and cook for five minutes until it releases some oil and looks crisp. Remove and set aside. 2. Add the sofrito to the pan and cook for five minutes, stirring regularly before adding the squid. Cook for three minutes. Add back the chorizo  then the rice. 3. Crackle the rice and stir to make sure the rice is coated in the paprika coloured oils, then pour in the wine and cook until evaporated.  Stir in the tomatoes. 4. Pour in the warm water and saffron, stir, then spread the rice evenly over the base of the pan and bring to the boil. Cook for a few minutes until the rice begins to swell and absorbs some stock. 5. Add the prawns and two pinches of salt. Stir gently for the last time and reduce the heat to a steady simmer. Cook for 3–4 minutes until the rice begins to show as the stock reduces. 6. Add the mussels and continue to cook for 8–10 minutes until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. 7. Reduce heat to low and cook for a further five minutes until a crust (known as a 'socarrat') forms on the bottom of the pan. 8. Sprinkle over the roasted capsicum, remove from the heat and rest for five minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

For the sofrito

60ml olive oil

1 white onions, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 large red capsicums, seeded and finely diced

¼ tsp Spanish sweet or smoked paprika

2 bay leaves

Bunch of thyme

Make sure all your ingredients are finely diced, then put in your paella pan fry (or 'sofrito') until onions are soft.