Paella

serves 4
ingredients
12 black mussels
125ml/4fl oz white wine
11⁄2 small red onions, chopped
125ml/4fl oz olive oil
1 small skinless chicken breast
fillet, cut into bite-size pieces
12 raw prawns, peeled and
deveined
100g/4oz cleaned squid rings
100g/4oz skinless cod fillet, cut
into bite-size cubes
1 rasher smoked back bacon,
finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red pepper, seeded and finely
chopped
1 tomato, peeled and chopped
75g/3oz chorizo, thinly sliced
pinch of cayenne pepper
200g/7oz long-grain rice
1⁄4 teaspoon saffron threads
500ml/18fl oz chicken stock
75g/3oz fresh peas
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh
flat-leaf parsley
salt and ground black pepper
• Scrub the mussels with a stiff brush and pull out the hairy beards.
Discard any broken mussels or open ones that do not close when tapped
on the work surface.
• Heat the wine and onion in a large pan. Add the mussels, cover and
gently shake the pan for 4–5 minutes over a high heat. After 3 minutes,
begin removing any opened mussels and set aside. At the end of
5 minutes, discard any unopened mussels. Reserve the cooking liquid.
• Heat half the oil in a large frying pan. Pat the chicken dry with kitchen
paper, then cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the
pan and set aside. Add the prawns, squid and cod to the pan, and cook
for 1 minute. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Heat the remaining oil in the same pan. Add the bacon, garlic and red
pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the tomato, chorizo and cayenne.
Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the reserved cooking liquid, then
add the rice and mix well.
• In a heavy saucepan, blend the saffron with the stock and mix well.
Bring slowly to the boil. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for
15 minutes, without stirring.
• Put the peas, chicken, prawns, squid and cod on top of the rice. Using a
wooden spoon, push pieces into the rice, cover and cook over a low
heat for 10–15 minutes until the rice is tender and seafood cooked. Add
the mussels for the last 2 minutes to heat. Serve sprinkled with parsley.