Paella



Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5. Season the chicken pieces and dust with flour. Heat a little olive oil in a large deep pan and fry the chicken until golden brown on both sides. Place the pieces on a baking tray and into the oven for 30 minutes.

Put the pan back on the heat. Add the sliced chorizo and pancetta or bacon and fry until browned and crispy. Then add the onion and garlic and cook until soft. Meanwhile infuse half the hot chicken stock with the saffron. Add the smoked paprika, rice and infused stock and leave to cook on a medium heat, stirring from time to time.

After 20 minutes the rice should be nearly cooked. At this point, pour in the rest of the stock along with the peas, prawns, and the mussels and squid if you are using them. Place a lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes more.

Finally, add the cooked chicken and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley and a wedge of lemon.

Yellow bean, vodka and smoked haddock risotto




The thing about risottos is that you can never have enough combinations, and just when you think you’ve done them all you come up with a new one that hits the spot. The use of vodka instead of wine leaves you with a fragrant freshness when the risotto is cooked, which marries fantastically well with smoky flakes of haddock and the al dente crunch of fine yellow beans. As there is fish in this risotto you don’t want to include any Parmesan, so bear this in mind. If you’re a risotto fan you’ve got to give this a try.

Start your basic risotto, adding the vodka at Stage 2 instead of the wine. Then lightly poach your haddock in the milk and stock from the basic recipe with a couple of bay leaves, covered with a lid. Simmer for around 5 minutes and remove from the heat. At Stage 3 of the basic recipe, I like to add the poaching liquor to the rice and then I carry on as normal through the recipe. At the end of Stage 3 flake in your smoked haddock, add the beans and carry on as normal through to the end of the recipe. Don’t serve with any Parmesan sprinkled over – serve sprinkled with the celery leaves. Add a dash of vodka and a squeeze of lemon to lift the flavours. Lovely.