PAELLA

Paella - Quick & Easy! (mixed Paella from the Balearics)

Well you can not leave this out can you?

Traditionally in Mallorca this dish was made with left-overs meats and freshly caught fish. You can alter the meat or fish ingredients depending on what is available locally.

Ingredients

400 g arborio rice

2 slices pancetta, bacon or some sliced chorizo

1/4 chicken - chopped (pre-cooked)

400 g pork or lamb (pre-cooked)

Fish - if you have shell fish, scrub and pre-cook until shells have opened

4 - 6 large prawns

Crab Pieces (if you can get these - scrubbed and pre-cooked)

8 mussels (scrubbed and precooked)

100 g clams (scrubbed & precooked)

1 finely chopped onion

2 tomatoes chopped & peeled

1 red pepper (sweet) chopped

1-1.5 litres hot chicken or fish stock

1/2 cup of white wine

3 garlic cloves & 1/4 teaspoon salt

few sprigs of fresh parsley & thyme (you can use dried)

saffron strands or turmeric for colour

Oil - olive oil

Combine together the 3 garlic cloves, salt, fresh parsley & thyme leaves in a pestle & mortar until it becomes a smooth paste

Heat a little olive oil in a pan suitable for Paella (traditional Paella pan is best) when the oil is hot cook the prawns until they turn pink, remove from pan. Fry the pancetta, bacon or chorizo with the chopped onion, pepper & tomato until the onion is softened. Then add the cooked meats and fry until golden. Add the saffron strands or turmeric to the hot chicken or fish stock, leave for a few minutes. Add the rice to the pan and then add twice the volume of stock & 1/2 cup of wine, stirring constantly. Bring to the boil then simmer stirring regularly. Cover with a lid or tin-foil, cook for a further 10 minutes but top up pan with stock if it becomes dry. Then add the fish (Including shellfish). Decorate then return return to heat to finish cooking.

Test the rice before serving. Add lemon wedges to finish.