Ingredients
- PAELLA
- 250g skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2.5 cm cubes
- 800ml chicken stock reduced salt
- 250g (11⁄4 cups) Calasparra rice
- 50g ( ½ cup) snow peas
- 50g (½ cup) cooked lima beans
- salt flakes
- 1⁄2 bunch of chives, chopped
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- Miguel's Quick Aioli
- SOFRITO
- 4 oxheart or roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 4 large jarred piquillo peppers
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1⁄2 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
- 1⁄2 bunch of chives, roughly chopped
- 1⁄2 bunch of thyme, leaves picked
- 11⁄4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads
- 11⁄2 tablespoons smoked paprika
Method
To make the sofrito, place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until chunky. If you don’t have a food processor, roughly grate the tomatoes, capsicums and garlic and roughly chop the parsley, chives and thyme, then combine with the oil, saffron and paprika in a mixing bowl.
- Heat a 30cm frying pan or paella pan over high heat, add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes until golden brown.
- Add the sofrito and cook for 3–4 minutes until the tomato starts to break down and become juicy.
- Pour in the stock and bring to the boil.
- Stir in the rice and bring to a simmer, then continue to simmer for about 18 minutes.
- When the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed (there should still be some liquid in the pan), add the snow peas and cooked lima beans and cook, without stirring, for another 2 minutes to form a nice ‘soccarrada’ or crust on the bottom.
- Season to taste with salt and garnish with chives. Squeeze over the lemon juice just before serving with aioli. Ole!
By: Miguel Maestre thanks to Diabetes Australia
