Chef Zola Nene’s Mussel Prawn and Chicken Paella

Paella was the first dish I ever made for my friends John and Twanji; I packed up all my ingredients and cooked the entire meal at their place. It\'s a great, relaxed dish to make that doesn't require too much nursing, leaving you time to enjoy your company. This paella is a little different from the one I made for them, but I\'m pretty sure they\'d approve.

Serves: 4
Difficulty: medium
Prep time: 30-45 minutes
Cooking time: 30-45 minutes

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Ingredients

30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
1 chorizo sausage, diced
4 chicken thighs
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
10 ml (2 tsp) smoked paprika
530 g Spekko Long Grain Parboiled Rice
A pinch of saffron
1 litre boiling water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
125 ml (1/2 cup) fresh or frozen peas
8 prawns, reins removed, but unpeeled
12 fresh mussels
Lemon wedges for serving

Method

1.Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and saute the chorizo until crisp. Set aside.
2.In the same pan, brown the chicken thighs all over. Remove and set aside.
3.Add the onion and red pepper to the pan and sauté until softened.
4.Add the garlic, paprika and rice and sauté for a few seconds to coat the rice in the oil and spices.
5.Place the saffron in a bowl and pour the boiling water over. Stir to release the colour.
6.Pout the saffron water over the rice and add the chorizo. Arrange the chicken thighs over the rice. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
7.Stir in the peas and arrange he prawns and mussels on top of the rice. Cover and simmer for another 0 minutes until the rice is cooked, the prawns pink and the mussels have opened.
8.Turn off the heat, and leave the pan, covered for another 5 minutes before serving with lots of lemon wedges at the side.

Extracted from Simply Delicious by Zola Nene (Struik Lifestyle)