CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE PAELLA

Spain's national dish, known all over the world, born in Valencia, the rice district of Spain, recipes are known from the 18 th century, the most used sunday come together and family lunch.

The original Paella Valenciana, is made from chicken , rabbit and vegetables, you have mixed paella, made with meat and fish/seafood, you have black paella, made with the ink of the calamari, luxury paellas made of lobster, blind paella, wich means you don't have too look, everything is peeled and parted , arroz a banda, just the rice is served, yoy have the fish apart, and I can go on and on, there are so many paella recipes as there are regions and families in Spain.

As you know I don't eat much meat, but my family yes does, so we make a compromise, chicken and vegetables, and the veggies depends on what time of the year, now it was fine brussels sprouts and harricots vertes, as it could be artichocks and fava beans, or cowliflower or aspargus.

The shoppinglist for 4 persons + plus a doggie tretas:

1 pechuga de pollo.            ( chicken breast)

2 tazas de arroz.                 ( cups of rice)

4 tazas de caldo.                 ( cups of stock, can be of chicken or vegetables)

1 taza de tomate frito.         ( cup of tomato sauce)

1 cebolla.                             ( onion)

2 dientes de ajo.                  ( garlic cloves)

250 gr coles de bruselas.     ( brussel sprouts)

250 judias verdes.                ( harricots)

Azafran.                               ( saffron)

Sal.                                       ( salt)

AOVE.                                 ( ExtraVirgen olive oil)

Start cutting the chicken breast into small cubes sort of 1,5x1,5, put a little olive oil in the paella pan, and add the chicken with a little salt, fry until golden, and reserve. Cut the harricots in 2 cm long pices, and the brussel sprouts in two, I like to put the harricots in the stock and boil for 2-3 min. While frying the chicken, peal and chop the onion and the garlic cloves finely. Add to the paella  pan, and fry until golden, then add the fried tomato sauce, mix and let all fry for 3-4min, then add the saffron and the chicken , and let simmer for 4-5 min.

Then add the rice and mix until the rice turns yellow, you can add 1 teaspoon of turmic if the saffron is't enough, the add the brussel sprouts and the stock with the harricots, and mix all well.

From now the rice must cook on slow fire, but not too slow, all the liquid must evaporate, cook for 15 min, then finish 5 min in preheated oven at 200 degrees.

If you don't want to heat up the oven, take off the fire and cover the paella pan
with  bakingpaper and a teatowel for 5 min.

The kind of rice is much discussed, but the one that absorbs the flawours most is the one called Arroz Bomba,  a new kind is Sabroz, from the Diamante Fabric, and here it's important to have the rice at the minute, to little is no good, but to much is even worse.

Try my recipe and tell me, if you don`t have a paella pan , use a wide fryng pan.

Have a good week.

Love

Hilde