I’ve been having a rather Spanish themed week this week after my mother gave me a packet of Carmencita Paellero seasoning her Spanish teacher had recommended and she had brought back from Spain. The first dish I tried was Paella. As my husband doesn’t like seafood I went for the meat only version. I can’t say it’s entirely authentic as I didn’t follow any particular recipe. However, it tasted good and reminded me of Spain. If I hadn’t had the seasoning I would have just added the ingredients separately, not including colouring and corn flour. For the colouring a pinch of turmeric would work just as well.
Ingredients
250g paella rice (I didn’t have any so used arborio risotto rice)
200g chicken, chopped up
50g chorizo, cubed
1 red pepper
2 tomatoes, diced
Handful of green beans
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Paellero Carmencita seasoning (contains: garlic, salt, paprika, corn flour, colouring E102, pepper, clove & saffron)
Extra pinch of pimenton (smoked sweet paprika)
1 small green chilli, finely sliced (optional and probably not authentic but I love chilli)
Method
1. Fry the chicken briefly till white on all sides. Remove. Add the onion and fry till soft. Add the chorizo. It will soon begin to release oil. Then add the vegetables. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the seasonings. Then add the rice. Cook for about 1-2 minutes, stirring.
2. Cover with water and leave over a low heat. Don’t stir. If it gets dry, add an extra dash of water. It should be ready in about 20 minutes.
