Paella (Chicken and Seafood)

The soul of paella is the lightly browned layer that forms on the bottom of the rice, the socarrat – this is why we do not stir it during cooking.

The base

1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, and in hot oil, in a wide pan, brown it all round, then take it out.

2. In the same pan braise the sliced pepper until it softens.

3. Add the rice, and fry it glassy for a few minutes, stirring, so it gets coated in the fat.

The liquid

4. Pour in the hot stock, into which you have crumbled the saffron, salt it, and spread the rice out evenly.

5. From here do not stir it any more – cook it evenly over a medium heat.

6. When the liquid has half soaked in, lay the prawns or clams onto the rice, and the returned chicken.

7. Cook it until the liquid soaks in and the rice softens; at the end brown the bottom over a higher heat, then rest it under a cover for a few minutes.

Tip: For the socarrat turn up the heat for 1-2 minutes right at the end, and listen – a faint crackling tells you the bottom is browning.