Paella is a bit of a Friday night treat in our house. Usually mid-week suppers consist of something that can be easily prepared in advance with little or no finishing once the kids are in bed. But on a Friday it's nice to eat a bit later, enjoy a nibble on some olives, carrots & reduced fat hummus while I get dinner ready, glass of wine in hand of course. I find on WeightWatchers if I'm really religious during the week, come Friday, I can afford a glass of wine or two along with dinner. I still try to keep to a healthy meal on a Friday (that's 12 ProPoints in my book) but it's usually something that takes a bit longer to prepare.
We are quite traditional in that white wine is largely summer drinking and most definitely when eating fish, and red wine is mostly for the winter and always to accompany red meat. Paella works well with either but a splash of white wine does work particularly well with the stock bringing out more flavour.
My paella uses chicken breast, raw king prawns, lots of red pepper & peas and it wouldn't be Paella without the use of saffron and cayenne pepper! My hubby has an allergy to some seafood but otherwise I would use the bags of frozen mixed seafood containing mussels, squid etc, but use whatever you like to suit your own taste.
You'll need for 2:
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed or grated
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 2-3 tbsp frozen peas, I use petits pois
- 1 medium chicken breast (165g), chopped
- 50g chorizo
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 150g Paella rice
- 1 big vine tomato or a few cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
- Pinch of saffron
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika or normal paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- Liquid chicken stock concentrate or stock pot
- 1 lemon
- 100g (about half a bag) of raw frozen king prawns, defrosted
- Boiling water from the kettle
- Glug of white wine (optional)
- Seasoning
In a large non-stick frying pan, heat the oil and gently saute the onions and garlic until slightly golden. Turn up the heat slightly and add the chorizo and chicken. Brown all over.
Weigh out the rice into a measuring jug and make a note of where it comes up to. Add the rice to the pan and stir frequently to coat the rice. Double the volume of rice with boiling water and chicken stock concentrate into your measuring jug. Add the saffron to the stock and allow to dissolve. Add the white wine if using or if not use a little of the chicken stock.
Add the pepper & tomatoes and stir well. Add about half of the chicken stock, the spices and bay leaf. Give it a good stir and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Add the peas.
Keep stirring every now and then and top up on some stock when it starts to look a little dry. It should take about 20-25 minutes for the rice to cook through. A few minutes before the end, add the prawns and a good squeeze of lemon (about half a lemon). Taste and season accordingly. Cook until the prawns are pink throughout and serve up with lemon wedges.
WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 13
The Anglo-Indian influence in my family has inspired me to learn the dishes that my parents grew up with. My mother was largely brought up by her Grandmother in India after losing her mum very young and she learnt to cook from her Grandmother. I love the way families pass down their recipes and traditions and I feel it is absolutely essential we carry on in the same vein. With DH's family being Sicilian we have quite a repertoire of Italian and Anglo-Indian dishes now which we hope will enrich our tastebuds and give our children a sense of worldly cuisines.
You'll need for 4:
- 1-2 garlic clove, crushed or grated
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil plus 1tsp extra
- 1-2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 2 cardamom pods
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 level dsp cumin
- 1 level dsp paprika
- 1 level dsp garam masala
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 2 dsp Pataks Biryani paste
- Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- 3 dsp fat free natural yogurt
- 450g chicken breast, cut into chunks
- 300g charlotte potatoes, halved lengthways then cut into 4 or 6 pieces each half
- Salt
- 285g basmati rice
- Good pinch of saffron
- Half a pack of green beans, halved
- 2-3 tbsp frozen peas and sweetcorn or frozen mixed veg
What to do:
This is an ideal meal for preparing in advance. There are a few steps to complete when creating this dish: roast the potatoes, make the curry, boil the rice, bake the lot together...
In a non-stick roasting tray or dish place the potato chunks. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle over a 1-2 tsp vegetable oil. Using your hands rub the oil in thoroughly and place in a hot oven (200c fan) for about 20 -25 minutes until the potatoes are soft on the inside and crispy and brown on the outside.
For the curry, 2-3 tsp sunflower or vegetable oil in a saucepan. Add the cinnamon stick, broken, the cardamom pods and cloves. After a minute or 2 add the onion and fry on a medium heat. Mix the other spices and paste together in a mug with a bit of water and when all mixed together, fill to the top of the mug with water. Add to the pan and allow the spices to cook out for a few minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt and a few dashes of lemon juice too, stirring occasionally.
Next add the chicken and coat thoroughly. Add the yogurt, vegetables and another mugful of water, less if you prefer the curry 'dryer'. Cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the potatoes to the curry.
Meanwhile rinse the rice thoroughly in a sieve. Add to boiling, salted water. Add a good pinch of Saffron and cook as per packet instructions. Usually 10 minutes. Once cooked, drain into a sieve and pour over boiling water to rinse through. Allow to cool.
In a oven-proof dish, lay some rice on the bottom followed by 1/3 of the curry. Repeat twice finishing with some curry on top. All of this can be prepared in advance.
Cover with a lid or foil and bake in the oven at 190c fan for about 40-45 minutes.
Serve up!
WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 13
