Food blogger Jo Brigdale has created a menu of comfortably light recipes to enjoy during the Spring Summer months. In her third post, Jo has created a dish full of goodness and easy to make! Follow her instructions below for Spring Vegetable Paella.
Spring is well and truly here now with asparagus and Jersey Royal Potatoes in our shops. My dish this month features our lovely local British asparagus that is in season during April and May but looks ahead to the summer holidays by putting it in a paella, a Spanish classic. Paella is very versatile and easy to make. You can put whatever ingredients you have to hand in it and feel like you are on your summer holidays whenever you make it!
Ingredients (Serves 2 generously)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 chorizo sausage, chopped into 1 cm rounds
- 4 skinless & boneless chicken thighs, chopped into chunks
- 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 150g paella rice
- 1 average sized bunch of British asparagus, woody end removed, stalks finely chopped and tips left whole
- 500ml chicken stock
- Small pinch of Saffron
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
- 75g frozen peas or fresh if available
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Bunch of fresh parsley, stalks removed and chopped
Method
In your paella pan or frying pan, heat up the oil and then add in the chorizo, Allow it to fry for a couple of minutes until the paprika in it turns the oil red.
Add in the chicken thighs and allow to fry until they are lightly browned.
Next add in the onion and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes until beginning to soften.
Add in the asparagus stalks and give it a good stir to coat everything in the paprika flavoured oil
Add in the paella rice and give it a good stir to coat in in the oil.
Add in the stock, saffron, the smoked sweet paprika and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally until the stock has been mostly absorbed by the rice. The rice should still have a bit of bite to it and not be completely cooked through.
Add in the peas and allow to cook for a couple of minutes in the remaining stock.
Finish by checking the seasoning and stirring through the parsley. Serve with a glass of wine and remember your last summer holiday.
Tweet @HotterShoes and tell us if you’ll be trying out Jo’s Spring Vegetable Paella recipe.
About Jo…
Jo Brigdale, from blog www.joskitchen.co.uk, is a freelance food writer, recipe developer and tester, social media consultant and professional blogger. She has a passion for making and eating simple and easy food that fits into a busy lifestyle. When she’s not in the kitchen she’s a busy mum to sons Thomas and Daniel and also runs parenting blog www.josnursery.co.uk.
