Dirk's Paella

There are as many recipes for this quintessential Spanish dish as there are small villages and towns in Spain. Regionally, the ingredients vary - from predominantly fishy in the south to meaty around Madrid and central Spain. Generally the spicing in paella is very laid-back - chorizo, pimenton and a little turmeric being the main influencers of heat. Rather untraditionally I add a little fresh chilli to mine as I love its wee kick that seems to lift the other flavours in the dish.

This recipe (except the chilli) was taught to me by my good Spanish friends in Madrid - Alberto and Carlos. Use it as the basis for fish, meat or vegetarian paellas, and like me, adapt it as you see fit. It works well at any time of year - but is best served lookwarm, outside, on a warm summer's evening, just as the heat of the day is starting to fade and the rose wine is suitably chilled.

For 4 hungry Earthlings
Ingredients:
For the spicing: 1 tsp each of sweet, smoked paprika (pimenton), turmeric, salt & a good pinch of saffron threads.

500g 'Bomba' paella rice; 2-3 peppers of any colour or shape, de-seeded and cut into thin strips; 1 small head of fresh fennel, finely chopped; 4 chicken legs and 4 chicken thighs - each chopped into 2-3 pieces; 1 spicy chorizo sausage; 250g fresh squid (cleaned and cut into thin strips); 150g 'French' beans; 1 medium hot red chilli (optional); 2 cloves of garlic, minced; 500g (total) of mixed fish (a mixture of shellfish and/or salmon, hake, ling or other sustainable white fish works well); 500ml of good chicken stock a good glug of Spanish olive oil.

Heat a paella pan and add the oil. Brown the chicken pieces all over in the pan, then remove. Add the chorizo and then the squid, and then the peppers, chilli (if using) and the garlic, turning well. Add the rice and coat well with the oil. Now add around half of the stock and mix well. Add the spice mixture and stir in. Finally return the chicken pieces into the pan and give it one final stir. Simmer gently, topping up with the stock but DO NOT stir from this point on. When the rice is almost cooked and has soaked up all of the liquid, add the french beans before covering over the paella pan with either a lid, or a piece of tin foil. After 5 minutes, add the fish and re-cover with the foil so that the fish gently steams. Cook for a further few minutes until the fish is just cooked through. Turn off the heat and leave to cool a little before serving. The ideal paella has some of the rice sticking to the bottom of the pan - this caramelised rice is almost the best bit of a paella and is often 'fought' over in Spanish households. Salud!