Chef's Delight: Chicken, chorizo and prawn paella
Check out this fabulous one pot wonder from Gearoid Lynch, proprietor of The Olde Post Inn in Cloverhill...
A WORD FROM THE CHEF
This one-pot wonder is a real crowd pleaser and very convenient if you’re entertaining as you can just pop it on the table for everyone to help themselves. The basic paella ingredients are rice, saffron and olive oil, but you can vary the other ingredients any way you wish.
INGREDIENTS
(Serves 6)
5tsp olive oil
Three medium onions, finely chopped
Three garlic cloves, crushed
900g boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
150g gluten-free chorizo sausage, skin removed and cut inot 1cm thick slices
125g tinned butter beans, drained and rinsed
1tbsp paprika
1tbsp saffron
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
800g long-grain rice
Two litres warm chicken stock
Four ripe tomatoes
12 fresh or frozen king prawns, tails only and shells removed
100g peas
15g fresh flat-leaf parsley (about two handfuls), roughly chopped
METHOD
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based pan over a medium heat.
Add the onions and garlic and cook for one minute, then add the prepared chicken and chorizo and cook just until sealed.
Add the butter beans, paprika and saffron and lightly season with salt and pepper.
Add the rice and stir well, then add the warm chicken stock and cook on a low heat for 20 minutes, until all the stock has been absorbed and the flavour has infused the rice. Stir the rice regularly to make sure it isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.
While the rice is cooking, prepare the tomatoes. Remove the green core with a pointed sharp knife and make a cross on the opposite side, just cutting through the skin.
Bring a medium-sized saucepan, half-filled with water to the boil.
Add the tomatoes to the boiling water and leave on a high heat for 10 seconds (although this depends on how ripe the tomatoes are).
Remove the tomatoes from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of ice-cold water to refresh to tomato. Once cold, the tomatoes should peel easily.
Cut into quarters and remove the seeds. The flesh of the tomato should still hold its structure. Cut into even-sized dice.
When the rice is done, add the prawns, tomatoes and peas to the paella, remove the pan from the heat, cover it with a lid and leave to sit for five minutes - the residual heat will be enough to cook the prawns. Sprinkle the parsley all over the rice and serve.
ABOUT THE CHEF
Gearoid Lynch is the proprietor of the award-winning Olde Post Inn in Cloverhill and regarded as one of the best 'gluten free' chefs in the country.
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