The taste of... Majorca

Paella [serves 6]

INGREDIENTS:

1 dozen clams or mussels

1/2 kg of prawns

1 small chicken (1 1/2 kg)

200g pork loin cut in cubes

75 ml olive oil

3 cloves of garlic

1 bay leaf

1 small onion, minced

2 green peppers cut into strips

1/4 kg squid, cut into rings

2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

500g rice (short grain)

1/2 teaspoons of saffron

10 peppercorns

1/2 teaspoons of paprika

2 teaspoons of salt

1 small tin of red pimentos

100g cooked peas

PREPARATION:

Clean and steam open the clams or mussels. Remove a half shell and discard, setting aside the clams on one shell. Strain and reserve the liquid in which they cooked.

Peel the prawns, leaving a few unpeeled for garnish. Cook them in a little water, adding the other shells. Strain and reserve the liquid.

Cut the chicken into serving pieces (the bony pieces can be cooked in water to make a stock for cooking the paella).

In the paella pan, heat half the oil and in it toast two cloves of garlic and the bay leaf. Remove them and set aside. In the same oil, slowly brown the chicken pieces with the cubes of pork, turning them often. Remove them to a dish when nicely browned. Now add the minced onion and chopped peppers to the oil. Allow to sauté for a few minutes, then add the rings of squid and sauté. Add the tomatoes and raise the heat to High so that they fry in the oil. Add the remaining oil at this point so that the mixture doesn't stick. Add the rice and cook briefly, stirring so that the grains become slightly opaque.

Combine the reserved cooking liquids (this should add up to a litre of fluid) and heat them. Add to the rice with the chicken, pork and the peeled prawns, and continue cooking on High.

In the mortar or blender, crush the fried garlic and bay leaf with the saffron, peppercorns, paprika, a clove of raw garlic and salt. Dilute in a little liquid from the pan (or a little white wine) and add to the paella. Stir in to the mix. Now turn down the heat and let the paella continue cooking (this takes about 20 minutes).

Decorate with the clams and mussels, cooked prawns, strips of tinned pimento and cooked peas. Shake the pan to prevent the rice from sticking on the bottom.

Because paella is easy to overcook, it should be removed from the heat before the rice is quite tender (the rice should still have a slightly hard kernel). Allow the paella to sit for ten minutes before serving, so that the rice can finish cooking from the heat in the pan.

Serve with quartered lemons which should be squeezed over the rice, chicken and shellfish.

Back