Recipe: Paella with a twist

Serve with a light red wine.

Should the classic Spanish dish that is Paella contain chorizo? Many feel it’s sacrilege (see here) but we’re not too fussed.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 tbsp (30ml) olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
1 cup (250ml) Arborio rice (risotto rice)
1 tsp (5ml) paprika
¼ cup (60ml) dry white wine
pinch of saffron or turmeric
1L (4 cups) chicken stock
8 prawns, de-vained
200g calamari, sliced
300g kingklip, cubed (or any white fish)
100g black olives, pitted
2 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
15g parsley, finely chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Method:
Heat a heavy based saucepan (paella pan is best) over medium heat with olive oil and gently fry onion, garlic and chorizo for about a minute.

Add rice and paprika and sauté for a further minute until rice becomes translucent.

Add wine and stir until absorbed.

Add saffron to stock and bring to a simmer.

Slowly add hot stock and cook gently over medium heat until rice is just underdone.

Place prawns, calamari and kingklip over rice and cover with lid. Allow to cook for about 8 – 10 minutes or until fish is just cooked.

Scatter with olives, tomatoes and parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Wine pairing:
A red wine that’s neither too fruit nor too tannic will work well – try a Cinsaut or a Grenache.

• Recipe supplied by Source Food – a Cape Town-based food agency that specializes in experiential marketing. They will create a recipe or meal to communicate your brand’s message.