Main Meals
Paella with Fish & Chicken
(This will serve 2 hungry people)
I always think it is lovely serving your Paella from a wide Paella pan – but if you do not have one of these a large frying pan will work just as well.
1 Large pan for Paella
Ingredients
1 large onion – chopped
½ red pepper – deseeded and chopped
½ green pepper – deseeded and chopped
2 cloves of garlic - crushed
4 large mushrooms –peeled and chopped
1 oz peas
1 oz corn
12 large cooked prawns – (with shell left on)
1 lemon (cut into 4 wedges)
4 large chicken thighs
1 small piece of poached, flaked smoked haddock
1 tablespoon oil
2 pints chicken stock
8 fl oz basmati rice
Boiled water as and when required
Method
Heat the oil in the pan and then add the onion, peppers and mushrooms and lightly fry until the onions are soft and then add the garlic and give everything a good stir. Always add the garlic last as it will cook before the onion and possibly burn.
Place the chicken into the pan skin side down on top of the above ingredients and lightly brown.
Meanwhile heat the chicken stock in a separate saucepan until warm and then pour over the chicken and other ingredients in your pan, covering the chicken. Turn the chicken over and let everything bubble for at least 40 minutes. Keep checking and giving everything a stir every now and then, and if necessary add some boiled water to the ingredients. Paella should be kept nice and wet and not dry up.
While these ingredients are cooking place the haddock into a wide pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and let the water bubble until cooked. You can tell when the fish is cooked sufficiently as it will start to crack when you try to lift it out of the pan. Once cooked, remove to a plate to cool and then break up into flakes, removing any skin.
After 40 minutes push the chicken around the edge of your pan and pour the rice into the middle of the pan and then from the middle of the rice start to gently stir the rice gradually spreading it to the rest of the pan. At this stage you can add your peas and corn. Cook this for a further 15 minutes – after 10 minutes has elapsed sprinkle the haddock flakes over the ingredients and place the prawns around the edge of your pan. You do not want the prawns in the pan any longer than 5 minutes as they can become tough – you only want to warm them through. Again you can add more water if required.
Once the rice is cooked place the lemon wedges around the paella and serve.