Spanish Paella

prep time:: 15 min
total time:: 1 hr

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Zoe

Paella is a Spanish dish that originates from a coastal region called Valencia. The romanticized version of its history says that the Moorish king’s servants took home the leftovers from banquets in large rice dishes that evolved into the modern paella. It is much more likely however that paella wasn`t really invented until the 9th century when workers would cook what they could find in a flat pan in the fields. It was easy to make in large quantities and keeps well for quite some time. The name itself is believed to have come from the dish is it cooked in, a flat pan evolved from the Latin ‘patella’. Saffron is the most important ingredient of the dish, giving the rice its yellow colour. Various meats accompany the rice, originally snails as they were the cheapest meat around. Meats like chicken, rabbit, and duck were only eaten by the rich. Eventually, paella evolved into the seafood dish it is today. “Paella” is pronounced “pa-e-ya” with the “e” as in “let”.

ingredients

170g/6oz chorizo, cut into thin slices
110g/4oz pancetta, cut into small dice
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 large Spanish onion, finely diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 tsp soft thyme leaves
1/4 tsp dried red chilli flakes
570ml/1pint calasparra (Spanish short-grain) rice
1 tsp paprika
125ml/4fl oz dry white wine
1.2 litres/2 pints chicken stock, heated with 1/4 tsp saffron strands
8 chicken thighs, each chopped in half and browned
18 small clams, cleaned
110g/4oz fresh or frozen peas
4 large tomatoes, de-seeded and diced
125ml/4fl oz good olive oil
1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
12 jumbo raw prawns, in shells
450g/1lb squid, cleaned and chopped into bite-sized pieces
5 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

directions

1
Step 1
2
Heat half the olive oil in a paella dish or heavy-based saucepan. Add the chorizo and pancetta and fry until crisp. Add the garlic, onion and pepper and heat until softened.
3
Step 2
4
Add the thyme, chilli flakes and calasparra rice, and stir until all the grains of rice are nicely coated and glossy.
5
Step 3
6
Now add the paprika and dry white wine and when it is bubbling, pour in the hot chicken stock, add the chicken thighs and cook for 5-10 minutes.
7
Step 4
8
Place the clams into the dish with the join facing down so that the edges open outwards. Sprinkle in the peas and chopped tomatoes and continue to cook gently for another 10 minutes
9
Step 5
10
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil with the garlic cloves in a separate pan and add the prawns. Fry quickly for a minute or two then add them to the paella. Now do the same with the squid and add them to the paella too.
11
Step 6
12
Scatter the chopped parsley over the paella and serve immediately.