Spanish Paella

After posting my previous entry on the Spanish orange chicken and watching an episode of travel TV programme on Spain, I couldn't resist the strong urge to experiment with a classic Spanish Paella. Unfortunately I couldn't get my hands on some saffron threads given the short time frame but the dish in my opinion, still tasted unbelievably good. I've reduced the portions significantly, however it's definitely better if you have more mouths to feed when attempting this recipe.

Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients:
1                                  chicken leg, boneless, cut into small cubes
6                                  large shrimp or 10 small shrimp, peeled or unpeeled depending on your preference
4                                  scallops or 1 squid, cut into smaller pieces
1                                  chorizo sausage, sliced
1 cup                            short-grain rice, rinsed and drained
2 cloves                        garlic, minced
1/2                               medium onion, chopped
1                                  red bell pepper, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons               olive oil
1/2 tablespoon             paprika
1 teaspoon                   dried oregano
1 teaspoon                   parsley
1                                  bay leaf
1 cup                           chicken stock or water with bouillion cube
1                                  lemon, cut into wedges
                                    salt
                                    black pepper

Method:

Place the cut chicken pieces into a resealable bag and add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon of paprika, 1 teaspoon of oregano, salt, black pepper and mix well. Refrigerate for an hour.

Heat a big shallow pan on medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add in the sliced chorizo and fry until the oils from the sausage are released. Remove and set aside, leaving the oil behind in the pan.

Add the marinated chicken and fry for about 2 minutes. Remove and set aside, leaving the oil and juices behind.

Add in 2 cloves of minced garlic, the chopped onion and saute for a minute or until the onions are soft and translucent. Add in 1 teaspoon of parsley, the chopped red bell pepper and saute for another minute.

Mix in the rice and fry for another 3 minutes or until the rice are fully coated with the oil. Add in 1 cup of chicken stock and 1 bay leaf. Bring to boil.

Lower heat to simmer. Place the prepared chicken and chorizo on top of the rice. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add in the prawns and scallop or squid and cover for another 8 minutes or until the rice is moist and fluffy.

Increase the heat to its highest for about a minute. Let the dish stand covered for 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges. Enjoy.

Spanish Orange Chicken

This is one of the first few recipes that I have tried from Nigella Lawson.  A one-pan dish that is easy and mess-free, you'll be surprised on how little ingredients were used for this dish. Aromatic and flavoursome, this is a definite must-try given how simple this is. Her recipe serves 6 but I've tweaked it down to 2 instead. How often do we have 6 people in the house anyway? I've also cut down on the steps a little so that it's a lot easier to make. Remember though, to preheat your oven while you prepare the ingredients. Halo Espanol!

Serves 2
Ingredients:

2                            chicken leg (bone-in)
1 tablespoon          olive oil
11/2                       chorizo sausages, cut into 1 inch thick
6                            baby potatoes, halved (or 2 normal sized potatoes, quartered)
1 mediu                  red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon             dried oregano
1/2                         orange, zest grated

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil onto a roasting pan and rub the chicken leg in the oil, then turn them skin side up.

Scatter the chorizo and potatoes in the pan evenly. Sprinkle the chopped onions and oregano and grate the orange zest over the dish.

Cook in the oven for 1 hour, basting the chicken with the juices during the cooking process.

SoCal Chorizo Potatoes

I had a great summer at Southern California last year and one of my favourite moments was visiting the Venice Beach at Los Angeles. I remember having their famous 'Venice Potatoes' at the sidewalk cafe. They were crispy on the exterior, soft inside with an intense smoked paprika taste. It wasn't until I visited an American brunch restaurant in Hong Kong that I realised the original name of the dish: Chorizo Potatoes. Needless to say, it was an absolute favourite in SoCal.

Serves 2
Ingredients:

2          medium potatoes, sliced thinly
1          chorizo sausage, sliced thinly
1          small onion, sliced thinly
1 tsp    paprika
            salt and pepper
4          eggs

Method:

Heat a pan and add in the sliced chorizo. Fry the chorizo till it releases its paprika flavoured orange oil. Add in the onions, potatoes and seasonings.

Arrange the chorizo on top of the potatoes and onions and press down hard with the spatula. Cook till all the potatoes have soften and crisp up.

Serve with two fried sunny side-ups per person.