Paella

Done well, this is really the perfect party dish – and cooking paella on the barbecue adds that extra touch of smoke and flame to proceedings. It’s highly visual, exciting, mouthwateringly delicious, and everyone can serve themselves with as much or as little as they like. I’m a big fan of meat and fish combinations – and the paella traditionalists I’ve spoken to would argue it’s not paella unless there’s a mix – but feel free to make this your own by increasing the quantities of whichever seafood or meat you like and leaving out the rest. A proper paella pan makes all the difference, of course, and the good news is they’re cheap and widely available.

Serves about 6

You’ll also need a paella pan or large ovenproof frying pan and some oak, apple or birch wood chips

250g (9oz) spicy cooking chorizo, skin removed, roughly chopped

2 large chicken thighs or rabbit legs, boned, cut into bite-size pieces

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 small red (bell) peppers, deseeded and finely chopped

1 chilli, finely chopped

1 Tbsp smoked paprika

500g (18oz) paella [ie Bomba] or Calasparra short-grain rice

1 tsp saffron threads, infused in 1 tsp warm water

200ml (generous ¾ cup) dry white wine

200ml (generous ¾ cup) dry sherry, such as fino

200ml (generous ¾ cup) good fish or chicken stock, ideally homemade

500g (18oz) plum tomatoes, finely chopped (with skin and seeds)

200g (7oz) mussels, cleaned and debearded

200g (7oz) squid, cleaned and cut into bite-size pieces

6 large tiger prawns (shrimp), shell on juice of 1 lemon

½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, stalks and all

olive oil, for cooking

sea salt and black pepper

Light the barbecue and set for direct cooking.

Set your paella pan in the direct heat zone of the barbecue and add a lug of olive oil. Throw in the chorizo and cook for 2 minutes, stirring briskly, to release its paprika-infused juices. Add the chicken or rabbit and brown on each side before adding the onion, garlic, peppers and chilli. Cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring as you go, until everything has softened but not coloured. Now add the paprika, rice and saffron and stir everything together well. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the wine, sherry, stock and tomatoes and leave to cook for 12 minutes without stirring. The idea with paella is that you let the rice in contact with the base and sides of the pan lightly caramelize – unlike a risotto.

Now stir the mussels into the rice and place the squid and prawns on top of the rice, without stirring them through. If the rice is looking too dry, add a little water at this stage. Throw a handful of wood chips onto the coals, then close the lid of the barbecue and cook the paella for 8 minutes, by which time the rice and seafood should be just cooked through. Squeeze over some lemon juice, sprinkle over the parsley and serve.