Since the eight year old that told me I looked pregnant, I’ve carb loaded and eaten five ice-creams. I’m just not a diet kind of girl. I’m a ‘stare at the hot girls in the gym and wonder why I don’t look like them’ kind of girl. I’m a ‘*stares blankly* yeah I want cheese and fries with that and no I don’t want the gluten free bread option’. I’m a wake up in the morning and think about dinner before I change my outfit (for the third time). I’m a Ghost Busters rooftop movie type with no option to not finish my popcorn before the movie starts because only Nobel Prize winners can achieve that feat.
Smokey Chipotle & Chorizo Paella
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 red capsicum, diced
2 tomatoes, seeds removed & diced
1 chorizo, sliced
3 chipotle chillies in sauce – see note
1tbs tomato paste
1tbs smoked paprika
Pinch of saffron stems or powder – optional
500g risotto rice
1L chicken stock
Flat leaf parsley & lemon wedge to serve
Method
Heat a large glug of oil in a non-stick skillet or large pan and add the onion, garlic and capsicum. Saute until the veg has softened then add the tomatoes, chorizo, chipotle chillies plus 1 teaspoon of sauce from the can, tomato paste and paprika and stir through for around 5 minutes over a medium heat.
Add the saffron, rice and stock to the mixture and stir through well before reducing to a low heat and leaving until the rice is cooked. Remember… don’t touch. The key to a paella is the crunchy bottom and side, so resist the urge to play around and let the heat work its magic. Each brand of rice will differ so after 10 minutes or so, taste the rice to see how it’s going. You can always add more stock to the pan if the liquid has reduced and the rice isn’t cooked yet.
Once the moisture has cooked through, scatter with parsley and serve with the lemon. Look at you go 😉
Kitchen notes...
Grab the chipotle chillies in a can, rather than dried ones. You want the smokey thick sauce that they come in. This’ll be in the Mexican section of your grocer or where the hot sauces are kept. I’ve used three but if you can handle more, go for it!
