MY KIND OF PAELLA

SERVES 2, READY IN 30 MINS

1 chicken stock cube 100g chorizo 1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 8 cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped 1 pepper (any colour), cut into 2–3cm pieces juice of ½ lemon 1 bay leaf 200g paella rice handful of frozen peas (optional) 3 tbsp parsley, choppedpepper ADD IF YOU WANT: 50g frozen prawns / 1 tsp chilli flakes lemon wedges, to serve

1 Put on your kettle to boil. Pour 600ml boiling water into a saucepan and stir in chicken stock cube.

2 Remove skin from the chorizo and dice it into 2cm cubes.

3 Heat the olive oil in your largest, flattest non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chorizo and fry for two minutes, until almost golden. Move half the chorizo to a plate and leave the oil and the rest of the chorizo in the pan.

4 Fry onion and garlic together in the oil for three minutes before adding in chopped cherry tomatoes. 5 Add the pepper pieces to the pan along with the lemon juice and bay leaf. Stir-fry for three minutes then pour in the paella rice and mix together to coat it in the juices.

6 Pour in 400ml of the chicken stock, cover with a lid or plate and gently simmer for 10 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed. Don’t stir the rice, but give the pan a shake every now and then to stop it sticking.

7 Pour in the remaining 200ml chicken stock, cover with the lid and simmer for five minutes.

8 Remove the lid, add a handful of frozen peas, if using, and the rest of the chopped chorizo. Turn the heat up slightly and cook for another five–seven minutes until all the water has been absorbed.

9 Garnish with the chopped parsley and a pinch of pepper. Serve.