Pretender’s Paella

Written by CUBBin the Kitchen Published on June 21, 2019 in Dinner, Lunch, Recipes

Although this pretender’s paella states it serves three it really does depend how hungry you are and how much you eat.
It serves two with enough left over for a lunch the next day. If you served this with a salad or had a starter and dessert then it could stretch to 4 maybe just add 20 grams of rice or so and about 40 ml of stock.

This recipe came into being as the result of an evening out at a Spanish restaurant and having disappointing paella. With the desire for paella not satisfied I decided to try out one myself.

Ingredients for pretenders paella, chicken, rice, chorizo, peas, red pepper, onion

It is not 100% traditional paella and should probably be called Spanish Rice. I just couldn’t resist the alliteration that Pretender’s Paella presented. I use cooked chicken, red pepper, frozen peas and the controversial chorizo. The oils from the chorizo seep into the rice and create a little bit of Spanish magic, with very little work from my hands. This is just how I make it. It would work with many other ingredients but do try it with these as it is very satisfying.

I recently learnt about crushing saffron. I used to just steep it without crushing and got, what I thought was, a fine result. However if you crush it and bruise it a little before steeping the flavour is much more intense. This in turn means you can use a slightly smaller pinch. This is very welcome news considering how costly this spice is.

Another point to mention is if you are using a chicken stock cube I then don’t add salt as I find it can become over salted and there’s no going back once you’re over that edge. If I’m using homemade stock then I do add both salt and pepper.

If you’d like to know how to make your own stock take a look at my homemade chicken stock recipe.
For a delicious way to use up your leftovers check out my Paella Arancini.

This is truly a feel good food moment in my kitchen, both a comforting warm dish and also an echo of holiday dinners. You can almost hear the waves on the beach as you eat it. If you try this recipe, let me know what you thought in the comments below. Share your pics on Instagram – tag me @cubbinthekitchen for a chance to be featured in my stories.

Pretender’s Paella

This will transport you from anywhere in the world to the Spanish sea front.

60 ml Alcohol (White Wine, Gin or you could use Water)
Pinch Saffron
1.5 tbsp Garlic Oil
1 Onion
130 grams Bomba Rice (or any short grain rice)
1 Red Pepper
100 grams Chorizo (approx. half a Chorizo Ring)
2 Cooked Chicken Legs (Breast does work but can dry out)
Good Shake Frozen Petit Pois
300 ml Hot Chicken Stock

Pour the Alcohol of your choosing (or water) into a small pan. Bruise the Saffron strands in your palm and add to the liquid. Put over a low heat to warm but not to boil, once bubbles appear it can come off the heat and steep.
Prep time: Peel and finely chop the Onion, slice the Chorizo into discs, dice the Red Pepper & Cut the chicken into pieces.
Heat the Garlic Oil in a pan – I use a traditional paella pan, however first made this in a large saucepan.
Add the onion and soften for 5 mins on a medium high heat.
Throw the rice in with the onions and the oil and make sure it is all slicked in the oil, stirring constantly.
Add in the Chicken, Red Pepper, Chorizo, Petit Pois and stir to distribute.
Pour in the Saffron and Alcohol.
Add the stock – I swill out the saffron pan with some stock as well to catch every bit of saffron flavour.
One final stir to combine and bring to a bubble then reduce the heat to your lowest simmer and leave it be for 25-30 mins without stirring.
Once all the liquid is absorbed your Pretenders Paella will be ready to be devoured You can stir with a fork and a fork only.
Serve with a squeeze of lemon, sometimes I char lemon wedges if I’m feeling fancy. Also to keep on theme a jug of sangria would be the perfect partner to your Pretender’s Paella.

LEFTOVERS TIP

Why not save any extra paella, snip chorizo and chicken into rice-sized pieces, chill in the fridge & roll into balls. You can then roll them in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and deep fry for Paella Aracini – this is the kind of Spaniard-Italian fusion that is perfect served with a fresh rocket salad and a glass of white wine. Even better if you can eat outside, you won’t regret trying this, it’s almost worth making more paella than you require.