Recipe: Paleo Paella
Yet another recipe that proves cauliflower rice is just as good (if not better) as the real thing. I love the combination of flavours and textures that is unique to Paella – what other dish in the world will you find prawns, anchovies, chicken and bacon altogether, delicately infused with smoked paprika and saffron? I can’t think of any, so what better reason to enjoy this super easy one pan dish with the whole family.
Recipe: Paleo Paella
Author: Suz Crawt
Ingredients
- 2 medium cauliflowers
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 4 skinless and boneless chicken thigh fillets
- 6 – 8 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, diced
- 1 large red onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- A pinch saffron
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 litre home made (or organic) chicken stock
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 2 large handfuls green peas
- 15 – 20 large prawns, shelled
- 6 Anchovies, diced
- Black pepper
- Handful fresh oregano
Instructions
- Blitz the heads of both cauliflowers in your food processor until it resembles rice (you may need to do this in separate batches depending on the size of your food processor). Set aside.
- Heat the coconut oil in your largest, heavy based pan. Dice the chicken thighs into thumb sized pieces. When the pan is at a high heat, fry the chicken for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Set aside, keeping the juices in the pan.
- Return the pan to a medium heat. Add the bacon, sliced red onion, garlic and paprika and stir fry for a couple of minutes, making sure they don’t burn. Add the cauliflower rice, paprika and bay, before pouring in the stock and sprinkling on the saffron. Don’t put the saffron in the pan before the stock – it’s very delicate and this will impair the flavour.
- Return the chicken to the pan. Leave to simmer for about 10 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir regularly.
- Add the diced tomatoes, green peas, prawns and anchovies to the pan for a further 5 minutes cooking time. When all the liquid is absorbed, serve garnished with the fresh oregano. There’s no need for salt thanks to the anchovies, but season with a generous amount of black pepper.
Are you a Paella fan? What do you put in yours?