What's Cooking?

The other week you mentioned that you were experimenting with Lentils. I never stop doing so, having to find different ways to use my homemade Chicken Stock to best advantage. I've got half-a-gallon waiting for my attention right now so, I've just been shopping and, making no excuses, here's a soupy, nay, stewy, idea for you:

Lentejas con Verduras y Chorizo

INGREDIENTS
1+1/2 cups brown/green Lentils (The American cup measure I use)
900g frozen, diced mixed veg. (my 2x450g bags include Brussels!)
2 Chorizo sausage links (or any spicy/herby sausage)
2 BIG Garlic cloves.
1 tspn Cumin powder
1/2 tspn pepper
1 tspn Paprika (hot n' smoked of course!)
Chicken Stock

PREP
Slice the sausage into bitesize.
Chop the garlic.

METHOD
Easy! Chuck all the dry ingredients into a big pot, cover with Stock (I got 2+1/2 pints into almost the brim of mine), bring to a gentle boil and then reduce heat and simmer until Lentils are done. Season to taste. They say that salt added to Lentils whilst they are being cooked toughens them. I'll take their word on that!

It will keep in the fridge while you use it up over the next 4 or 5 days. And its flavour improves!!

Part of the reason why I went shopping earlier was to get some white wine for tomorrows Sunday Dinner. I intend to braise another piece of Pork Loin, this time with pears, but the wine is, already, nearly all gone (hic). Plan B? Buy another. Mercadona sell a Cooking Wine for about 1.80 but I found something cheaper at 90 cents that is actually very drinkable and, hopefully, will help me to forget to take the meat out of the freezer later so that I have no excuse not to go for my Sunday Snifter in The Ship tomorrow afternoon while waiting for it to defrost having taken it out in the morning. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! 2 weeks ago I stayed in and last week got told off by Lisa for being "conspicious by my absence," or something similar. I won't be doing that again! The force is with her and never, EVER, to be reckoned with! Life en El Bajondillo? Who would want to be anywhere else? Not me!!

It is 4pm and I've got 2 pints (more-or-less) of Stock left. What to do? A paella of course! So, put your pinny on and follow me....

I've been playing around with a one-man recipe for paella for some little while now (because I hate reheated leftovers of this particular dish) and I think that this attempt at perfection will be just that....perfick. My "paellera" for this is a deepish 18cm frying (omelette) pan, and based upon my always available roasted chicken, here goes:

INGREDIENTS
1 Chorizo sausage
1/2 a smallish onion
1 clove of Garlic (choose a big'un)
1 tspn Tumeric
1 tspn Paprika
1 tomato
Cooked Chicken Meat (brown, white, whatever)
Frozen, cooked, prawns
Crabsticks
Fresh Bell Pepper (Green or Red or both)
Frozen Peas
Short grained rice
Chicken Stock
(Quantities are more to do with not overfilling your pan)

PREP
Slice the onion.
Slice the Chorizo (de-skin it if you prefer.)
Dice a tomato.
Dice a little fresh pepper.
Coarsely chop the Garlic.
Slice the crabsticks.

METHOD
Begin by browning the chorizo for a minute or so then add the onion, pepper(s) and garlic and continue sauteing until they are softening, then add the spices, fry for a minute or so more then cover all with a layer of rice (2 grains deep will be about right) and contnue frying with a constant stir until the rice is becoming translucent. Add some Stock and the tomato and cook until the rice is more-or-less tender (adding more stock as is necessary), then in the final moments, add the prawns, peas, crabsticks and chicken to heat through. Don't be frightened to allow the paella to "stick" to the pan in the final few minutes of cooking. The resultant caramelization is known as "Socorat" and is what makes a paella a paella, so, scrape it off and serve it up! You'll love it!!