Calamari Paella

Paella is the dish Spain is probably most famous for. Whilst this one uses calamari, the original paella is from Valencia and contains fresh vegetables and local proteins such as chicken, rabbit or snails.



Calamari Paella
(Serves 4)

1/4 cup olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
2 chorizo sausages, sliced
1 red capsicum, diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 tspn smoked paprika
2 roma tomatoes, diced
2/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup medium grain rice
1L hot chicken or vegetable stock
Pinch of saffron threads
4 squid tubes, sliced into rings
2/3 cup frozen peas
1 small handful of parsley, chopped roughly
Lemon wedges, to serve

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and saute the onion, chorizo, red capsicum and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the cayenne pepper, paprika and tomato and stir for 1 minute. Season well with cracked black pepper. Add the white wine and bring to the boil.

Add the rice, the stock and the saffron, stir briefly then turn the heat down to a very gentle simmer and leave to cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Most importantly, don't stir the rice - a crust will form on the bottom of the pan and this is considered a delicacy!

Place the calamari rings onto the bed of rice and press them down slightly so they are submerged. Sprinkle over the peas, cover the pan and leave it to cook for a further 10 minutes.

If the rice looks like it's drying out, add a little more stock. If it looks too wet, let the paella simmer for a while with the lid off.

When the rice and calamari are cooked and tender, sprinkle over the parsley and serve with fresh lemon wedges.