Thread: Chitty's Chicken and Chorizo Paella.

A traditional inland dish for the Spanish, coastal peeps opt for seafood Paella.
However, due to lack of fresh fish inland the locals used meat instead.

Step 1,





Fry the fresh chicken in olive oil, paprika and parsley for 10 minutes then leave on a plate while the rest of the dish is prepared.


Step 2,



Chop up the Chorizo and fry in olive oil with diced garlic znd onions also some gently sliced ball peppers.

Step 3,



Re add the chicken for a further 5 minutes.

Step 4,



Add the chicken stock to the dish and some lemon on top and leave to simmer and thicken up.

Step 5,



Twenty minutes later, it's ready to serve.

My first homemade Paella and it did taste like the real thing!

10/10

Grief, what an aberration.

Fresh fish and seafood is readily available pretty much anywhere on the Iberian peninsula. Certainly, back in the day when Britain was not afflicted with terminal stupidity and remained in the world's most successful economic association crustacea caught in Scottish coastal waters was in wholesale markets in Madrid within 24 hrs and onto domestic fishmongers six hours later.

Paella has many variations but rabbit and chicken generally are the main non-seafood ingredients although pork and snails will feature somewhere. Chorizo rarely ever makes an appearance but can feature in a rice dish but not within the embrace of a paella.

Chicken breast is not used. Chickens are jointed and prepared on the bone and fried off in hot oil until browned and then removed - the pan must not be crowded, the pieces must fry, not steam. A sofrito of onions, garlic and peppers is then fried in the oil and the "fond" from the fried chicken, followed by chopped tomatoes. Once softened bomba rice is added and coated with the sofrito/ oil mix to the point the grains glisten and then the stock is added ( chicken usually but my Catalan ex MIL would use fish stock ). Saffron threads toasted lightly beforehand are then stirred into the mix together with a good teaspoon of pimenton. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and let it simmer until the rice is cooked but do not stir and let the bottom catch to form a light crust, but do not let it burn - it is a skill, the soccarat is the best bit, the rice should not be soggy nor al dente, firm but satisfyingly yielding. Remove the paella from the heat and cover with a tea towel for five minutes to let it rest. If you don't use Spanish rice then long grained patna rice will do ( Uncle Ben's eg etc ) but do not use Thai or Basmati, that would be a crime. If you do want some seafood then lay it around the top halfway through the process starting with some mussels, then squid and shell on prawns.

No paella would be complete without a good Rioja to wash it down, preferably two bottles.

I forgot to mention, lemon wedges are a garnish brought to the table for the diner to squeeze as desired, never incorporated as an ingredient into the process.