Paella - And Pronounce It Properly!

Well, it's definitely Autumn in Sydney and yesterday was cold and rainy. So what to cook for a tasty dinner on a day like this? How about a Spanish paella? And yes, it's pronounced pie-a-yah, not pie-ell-a. So come one Aussies and Poms, say it right!

This is an easy dish to cook and is very, very tasty. In addition to a large fry pan you'll need:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 red capsicum, chopped
  
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
• 300g chicken breast fillet, diced
• 200g calamari, diced
• 300g Spanish Calasparra rice (allow about 80g per person)
• 750ml fish stock
• 10 strings of saffron
• 2 tsp Spanish paprika
• 4 large green prawns
• 8 fresh mussels
• 12 fresh vongole clams or pippies
• 200g peas
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley

Heat oil in the pan over medium/high heat. Add onion, capsicum, tomato, garlic, chicken and calamari. Add rice and stir for 1 minute. Stir in stock, the saffron salt and paprika.

When the stock starts boiling add the prawns. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the stock has reduced and the rice starts to show. Push the mussels and clams into the rice and cook until the shells open. Finally add the peas and parsley and leave it for five more minutes on low heat. 

Enjoy a little jaunt to Spain this winter. Ole!

Note:

- Grind the saffron thread with some salt in a mortar and pestle until it is like a fine powder. It will help to distribute it through the paella evenly giving a better colour and flavour to the finished dish.

- Do not stir the paella during cooking.

Ribs, Incredible Ribs!

If you own a BBQ (you DO, don't you?) then you really need to try cooking ribs now and then - they are simple to cook and are a party favourite. And everyone loves getting their hands dirty in rib sauce and licking them clean once done!

Recently I cooked a rack of pork ribs on my BBQ and they were fantastic. I would normally have created my own sauce but I was short on time (and tired) so I picked up a bottle of JME's "Big Bang Hot Smoky Sauce" at Thomas Dux.

Heat the BBQ on medium-high heat and, depending on the thickness of the ribs, cook on the bone side for about 15 minutes and then flip and cook on the meat side for about 10 minutes. Occasionally baste the ribs with more sauce.

That's it! Chop the rib racks to suit how hungry people are and serve with some ice-cold beer. Now you're the guy who cooks great ribs!

BTW, if you want to make your own sauce I'd suggest you pick up a copy of "The Art of LIving According to Joe Beef". The book has one hell of a world-famous recipe.

Italian Scallops

For some reason I have been obsessed with scallops lately. They are so easy to cook and there are many flavour combinations that you can use to make amazing dishes. I'm pretty happy with this recipe as I made it on the fly and it's another step in my journey in creating flavour pairings from scratch.

The key to this dish is to cook the scallops in duck fat. You can find duck fat at your speciality grocer - in Australia Thomas Dux carries it in the meat section. This will serve two people. You need:

• 6 fresh scallops
• 1 tbsp duck fat
• 1 vine ripened tomato, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• handful basil, thinly sliced

Heat a sauce pan on high and add the duck fat. Ensure the pan is searing hot and then add the scallops. Sear the scallops for 2-3 minutes on each side and then remove from the pan and set aside. Add the tomato, garlic, and chicken stock and reduce - about 10 minutes.

Add the scallops back to the pan with the basil and cook for another minute. Serve the scallops with a dollop of the tomato and basil sauce. Enjoy!

Inspired by Tostadas...

Recently, on one of my many (many, many, many) flights to and from Melbourne, I watched an episode of "No Reservations" where Tony Bourdain visited Baja Mexico. On the trip he spent time at La Guerrerense in Ensenada, which is a little tostada street cart that he called some of the best street food in the world. Big call! But the episode inspired me and I decided to pop by a friend's new house over the weekend and whip up some gourmet seafood tostadas.

Now, if you don't know what a tostada is it's a crispy tortilla base that's topped with any number of ingredients. In the lower north shore of Sydney I wasn't able to find a place that carries tostada shells so I bought regular tortillas and cut two rounds out of each one using a jar top as a guide. I then fried the tostadas in a bit of vegetable oil in a frying pan until crisp - about two or three minutes per side.

I made three different varieties but you can mix and match as you desire and also come up with your own toppings! The first one I made was crab with lime mayo and cabbage. 

You'll need:

• 1 tin shredded crab meat
• 3 tbsp whole egg mayo
• juice of half a lime
• shredded cabbage
• chopped chives
• paprika
• salt & pepper
• tabasco sauce (optional)

Mix the mayo with the lime juice and a sprinkle of paprika and a dash of salt and pepper. Add the crab meat until mixed well. Place a dollop of the mixture to a tostada shell and top with shredded cabbage, chopped chives, and a dash of tabasco sauce.

Next came octopus with tuna and pickled jalepeno. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste combination in this one and it actually was a crowd favourite!

You'll need:

• 1 tin tuna fillets (I used Serena tuna)
• pickled jalepenos (they're now in the Mexican food section of your grocer)
• 6 baby octopus, heads removed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 chopped red chili
• chili paste

Add the olive oil to a saucepan and heat. Add the chilis and octopus and fry for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and chop the octopus into small bite-sized pieces. To a tostada shell add a chunk of tuna topped with a slice of picked jalepeno then add a pile of the chopped octopus and top with a bit of chili paste.

Lastly, I made a scallop and dory ceviche tostada. This was incredibly tasty and my personal favourite.

You'll need:

• 6 fresh scallops
• 2 firm dory fillets
• 1 chopped red onion
• 1 chopped red chili
• chopped coriander
• juice of 2 lemons
• juice of 2 limes
• salt & pepper
• tabasco sauce (optional)

Chope the dory into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl. Thinly slice the scallops and add to the dory. Add the onion, coriander, chili, salt and pepper, and juice and then stir. Let the ceviche sit in the fridge for a half hour, stirring occasionally.

Top a tostada shell with ceviche and add a splash of tabasco sauce. Yum...