Spanish Paella

Paella to me is quite a social dish. It evokes images of an enormous paella pan, filled with a striking combination of meats and seafood, contrasting colours and an alluring exotic aroma. Paella creates an essence of celebration and is a vivacious crowd pleaser, perfect for entertaining.

I would love to have access to a traditional paella pan but unfortunately the humble large and shallow saucepan will have to suffice. There are so many variations of paella, my recipe uses a mixture of seafood and Spanish chorizo but you can add chicken, rabbit or any other meat that takes your fancy.

Preheat your oven to 185C. Sauté 1 minced onion, 1 diced and seeded red capsicum, 4 cloves of garlic and sliced chorizo sausage in olive oil until vegetables are tender and the chorizo has acquired a bit of colour. Add 1 ½ cups Arborio rice and stir for a couple of minutes, coating the rice. Add ½ cup dry white wine, ½ cup passata, can of green beans and 1 tsp saffron threads that has been allowed to dissolve in 1tsp hot water, salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes before burying a diversity of seafood amongst the rice. I like to use a firm white fish such as swordfish, prawns, squid and mussels. Bake uncovered, for about 20 minutes until rice is tender then remove from the oven, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. This will allow all the flavours to meld together and the juices to be absorbed.  Season profusely with cracked black pepper and serve with lemon wedges and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.