A real spanish Paella

Dear Foodies,
It has been quite a while since I last posted but the short break has been for a very good reason. I am lucky enough to have a friend with a holiday home near Alicante in Spain. As my friend knows the area really well we were able to go to all the best restaurants and the best had to be one near the fish market right by the marina. You can tell a good fish restaurant by the number of fishermen inside and this restaurant was jam packed full of them. My two friends  and I shared a beautiful seafood Paella which was full of beautiful meltingly tender clams, prawns and assorted white fish and the whole dish was beautifully complimented with the fresh tang of lemon. While I was unfortunately unable to stretch my spanish far enough to gain acceptance into the kitchen and acquire the recipe, I will share with you the recipe I use when making a fish Paella. Further food highlights of the trip included the fresh ham and cheese croissants we indulged on for breakfast and a plate of fresh as a daisy prawns which were lightly seasoned leaving the meaty sweet flesh of the prawn to do the talking. While food abroad is often greatly enhanced by the heat and the beautiful view across a crisp blue sea here is a recipe which may help bring that romantic beach side feeling into your home.

Ingredients: 

1 small onion, finely chopped 2 medium-sized tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped  
200g prawns 
200g small clams
200g squid
350g rice (traditionally short grain rice is used but I prefer to use long grain)
2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
a pinch of saffron strands
a sprig of parsley, finely chopped
olive oil
about 800ml water or for more flavour fish stock 

To Make:

1. Fry the Onion until soft
2. Add the squid, carrot and tomato to the pan and cook for 10 mins
3. Add the rice and stir until coated  
4. Add the water/fish stock, clams, garlic, saffron and parsely
5. Season and bring to the boil
6. Turn heat down and place lid on top leaving for 15/20 mins
7. You can cook this dish for another 10 mins, just add a little more water to stop it drying out - by cooking it longer you increase the intensity of the flavours

A proper Spanish Paella

I hope that this recipe allows you to close your eyes and imagine yourself on a beach in sunny Spain.

Hasta Luego xx

The view when I woke up in Spain