Paella Valenciana cooked with Coconut Oil

Ingredients:

• 180ml white wine
• 2lbs fresh mussels
• 250g shelled broad beans
• 300g French beans
• 250g peas
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 red peppers (or jar)
• 4 medium onions
• 4 large ripe tomatoes (or tin)
• 8 tbls fresh parsley
• 6 chicken thighs boneless (or breast do not overcook)
• 300g pork fillet
• 16 large raw prawns (or precooked)
• 2 litres chicken / vegetable stock
• 800g Paella rice
• 450g chorizo
• 16 stuffed green olives
• Paprika (smoked La Chinata is fantastic)
• Saffron threads 0.5 g (2 large pinches)
• Salt and black Pepper
• Lucy Bee Coconut Oil

Method:

1. Scrub the fresh mussels discard any broken ones.  Heat wine and add mussels, cook until they start to open.  Remove from heat. Discard any mussels that do not open. Reserve the liquid and mussels separately
2. Briefly steam or flash boil the broad beans, then the French beans, and finally the tomatoes so you can easily remove the skins
3. Get a glass of wine sit down and start to shell the broad beans, a labour of love but it’s well worth it
4. Cut the French beans in to 1 inch lengths.  Skin and then chop the tomatoes
5. Place the saffron in 2tbs of hot water, leave to infuse
6. If using fresh red peppers blacken them over a gas flame, once burnt all over place in a plastic bag and allow to cool.  Once cool remove the skin and seeds and cut into strip. Or use a jar
7. Chop the parsley, onions and garlic
8. Skin the chorizo and cut in to bite size rings
9. Cut the chicken thighs in to large bite-size pieces, season with paprika and salt and cook in a paella pan or large frying pan until tender using Lucy Bee coconut oil.  This might take 20 minutes or so. If using breast meat do not overcook.  Remove and leave to cool
10. Treat the pork in the same way, it will cook more quickly, you may need to add more Lucy Bee. Finally quickly fry the raw prawns, do not overcook.  If using cooked prawns miss this step. Remember to season each with paprika and salt. Remove and let cool
11. Now fry the onions in the paella pan until they start to go soft and golden, add the garlic, cook for a few minutes, and then add the red peppers, chopped tomatoes and parsley.  This is an important step cook this mixture gently till it really goes soft and thickens; it will go a dark red colour
12. Now have another glass of wine
13. If cooking in an oven preheat to 190C / 375F
14. 45 minutes before you plan to eat you can start to cook the paella
15. Stir in the 2 litres of stock, the saffron liquid and the reserved mussel juice in to the vegetable mix, season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil
16. Add the 800g of paella rice, only stir once. Add the chicken pieces, pork, chorizo, prawns and all of the vegetables
17. Traditionally cook over a well spread low heat so it’s just bubbling for 20 to 30 minutes shifting the pan regularly, do not stir or you will end up with a risotto.  Where the rice and mixture sticks on the bottom of the pan is considered the best bit
18. If cooking in an oven it will need checking after 20 minutes
19. Once the rice is cooked remove from the heat (oven), add the mussels and olives, and cover with a lid or foil. Leave to stand in a warm place for 10 to 15 minutes
20. Serve straight from the pan with lots of lemons to squeeze