Rice with Chicken, Chorizo and Vegetables

If you have a large frying pan with a lid, there’s hardly any washing-up for this one.

Start by steeping a pinch of saffron in a pint and a half of hot vegetable or chicken stock.

Gently fry 2 onions, 2 sticks of celery and 2 cloves of garlic (all finely chopped) in some oil in a large frying pan.  After 3 – 4 minutes, add 2 finely sliced carrots, a red pepper (diced) and a handful of sliced mushrooms.  Soften gently for 5 minutes more.  Then scoop all of the vegetables out of the pan with a slotted spoon.

Add 200g sliced chorizo and 600g finely sliced chicken breast.  Fry on a medium heat until the chicken is starting to turn opaque.  Add a mugful of basmati rice, then the saffron/stock mix.  Stir well and make sure all of the rice is immersed.

Put the vegetables on top and then a handful of peas and/or broad beans.  DO NOT STIR.  Turn the heat to low and pop the lid on.  Set the timer for 10 minutes.  At the end of the ten minutes, give it all a good stir and a taste.  You might want to add some chillis, salt and pepper.  The rice probably won’t be ready, so add a little more water, check that the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pan, then put the lid on again and cook for 5 – 10 minutes longer.

Now, sprinkle with parsley and serve.  If you want the children to eat it, call it jambalaya.  Nobody need ever know that it’s nothing of the sort.

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