Chicken & Chorizo Paella

When I had my new induction hob fitted a few months ago, one of the silly things that I was pleased about was that my paella pan worked on it when many of my other pans didn't. I didn't use it very often but didn't feel ready to part with it.

As the majority of the family isn't keen on seafood I've never made a seafood paella, and instead use chicken & chorizo, which gives the dish some rich Spanish flavours. I don't know why I don't cook this more often as it really is simple, yet tastes so good and the family loves it. One pot dishes are always a winner too, as there's not much in the way of washing up either.

 

Chicken & Chorizo Paella - serves 4/5

3-4 chicken breast fillets

pinch Saffron strands

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 red pepper, deseeded & chopped

1 green pepper, deseeded & chopped

1 onion, chopped

100g chorizo, sliced

350g paella rice

50ml white wine

800ml hot chicken or vegetable stock

1 tsp paprika
fresh parsley, chopped

lemon wedges

• Cut the chicken breasts into strips
• add the saffron strands to a small dish and pour approx 30ml boiling water over
• heat the oil in a paella pan (or large frying pan)
• add the chicken and fry over a high heat until browned on the outside, & remove from the pan & set aside (it will finish cooking later)
• turn the heat to medium and add the garlic, peppers, onion & chorizo
• fry for 5-10 minutes until the onion starts to soften
• add the rice and stir for 1 minute
• add the wine, & 750ml of the stock, along with the saffron strands & water and paprika
• bring to the boil whilst stirring
• turn the heat down, cover with a lid or sheet of foil and simmer for 15 minutes - check after 10 minutes and add more stock if needed
• after 15 minutes turn the heat off and leave covered for 10 minutes before serving
• scatter with chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges

Chicken & Chorizo Risotto

Most people enjoy going on holiday for a break from the usual routine, which normally involves the cooking. I, on the other hand, enjoy going on a self catering holiday to do more cooking than I might do at home. I love cooking, but at home it can become a bit of a chore when there are time constraints, work to be done, and kids pestering as they're hungry. On holiday it's a lot more relaxing, and even when cooking in the middle of a weekday it's ok to enjoy a glass of wine whilst making lunch.

This past weekend we took a break away in a cottage in the middle of the Welsh countryside to get away from the craziness of pre-Christmas. All the presents had been bought and wrapped and all the food that could be bought and prepped in advance had been. I planned a menu beforehand and took receipt of an online grocery order to make sure we had enough food to see us through the weekend.

The kids enjoyed exploring the grounds, as well as playing some good old fashioned board games, whilst I spent some enjoyable quality time in the kitchen, which you would in a lovely kitchen like this, with amazing views.

I decided to make a risotto for a late lunch on Saturday afternoon, which we enjoyed before sitting down to watch Free Willy - got to love all the old movies on over Christmas! This recipe would also be a great way to use up some of that leftover turkey - just add it towards the end of cooking time instead of the chicken.

Chicken & Chorizo Risotto - serves 4/5

large knob of butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

100g Chorizo, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

500g chicken breast, cut into strips

100g baby chestnut mushrooms, sliced

350g arborio rice

150ml Lindeman's Bin 65 Chardonnay

1 litre chicken stock

salt & pepper to season

• Heat the butter in a large pan
• Add the onion and fry over a medium heat until softened
• Add in the garlic and paprika and fry for a couple of minutes
• Add the chorizo and red pepper and fry for a couple of minutes more before adding the chicken breast and stirring well
• Add the mushrooms and rice and then stir in the wine
• Once the wine has been absorbed add the stock a little at a time, adding more when it has been absorbed
• Cook until all the stock has been added and the rice is tender
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Serve with some thin slices or grated cheese

This post has been commissioned by Lindeman's

Fresh Ravioli with Sausage & Chorizo

In the penultimate #RespectThePasta challenge I have been asked to make ravioli from scratch. I've only ever made pasta from scratch once before, just a few weeks ago, in a lasagne. I rolled it a bit too thin so this time I made sure I left it a little thicker so that it didn't disintegrate completely in the pan.

I went for a simple filling of sausage and chorizo, and a very simple tomato sauce. There was a little of the sausage filling left over from the ravioli which I added to the sauce.

Fresh Ravioli with Sausage & Chorizo - serves 3-4

Pasta
200g '00' flour plus extra for dusting
2 large eggs

Filling
40g Chorizo, finely diced
4 good quality pork sausages

Sauce
glug of Extra Virgin olive oil
onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
handful of fresh basil
salt & pepper

• Make the pasta by stirring the eggs into the flour until it starts to come together
• Knead until smooth & elastic - this will take a while - it will be grainy at first and then smooth. At this point keep on kneading until it becomes more elastic
• Tightly wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes
• In the meantime make the filling by frying the chorizo until the oil starts to come out
• Squeeze the sausagemeat from the casings and add to the pan, breaking the meat up
• Once cooked through set aside whilst you roll the pasta
• I used a Lakeland Pasta Machine to roll my pasta out, but you could do it by hand 
• Cut the dough in half and pass half through the machine until you reach the second to last setting (1-7 on the Lakeland machine). Repeat with the other half.
• Lay a sheet of pasta onto a floured work surface
• Spoon a little of the sausage filling along the pasta sheets in small mounds before placing another sheet on top
• Press the top sheet onto the bottom sheet around the filling to remove any air and seal around the edges
• Using a ravioli cutter cut the squares of ravioli out around the filling
• Leave the ravioli to dry out a little whilst making the sauce
• Add a glug of olive oil to a pan
• Add the onion and garlic and fry for 3 minutes
• Add the tinned tomatoes and half of the chopped basil
• Place a lid on and simmer for around 20 minutes
• Add the rest of the basil and season with salt & pepper
• Put a large pan of salted water on to boil
• Once boiling, add the ravioli (in batches if necessary)
• Boil for 3-4 minutes and spoon out into the sauce, tossing gently
• Serve immediately

I received a ravioli cutter and '00' flour from ASK Italian for the purpose of this challenge