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Rice with Chicken and Prawns

When you're after a proper one-pot meal, nothing beats a good rice dish. Today we're making surf and turf rice! Ingredients for 4 people 500g bomba rice. 1.8 litres chicken stock. 12 prawns. 2 chicken thighs and 2 wings. 1 large onion. 2 garlic cloves. 1 green pepper (Italian style). 1/2 red pepper. 1/2 courgette. salt. extra virgin olive oil. Preparation Chop the thighs and wings into small pieces and brown them in a paella pan with 2 tablespoons of oil. Season with salt and set aside. Using the same oil, sauté the garlic and onion, finely chopped. Add the peppers and courgette cut into long strips, almost like little batons. Stir the reserved chicken back into the sofrito along with the rice. Let everything cook together for a couple of minutes, then pour in the hot stock—it should be just about to boil. Cook according to the rice packet instructions and check the seasoning. When you're ready to take it off the heat, toss in the peeled ...

Puff Pastry Parcels with Cod, Porcini, and Spinach



ingredients

for 4 people
  • 2 rectangular sheets of puff pastry.
  • 1 beaten egg to brush the pastry.
  • 4 portions of desalted cod loin.
  • 500g fresh spinach.
  • 2 spring onions, chopped.
  • 20g dried porcini mushrooms.
  • 100ml water.
  • salt.
  • extra virgin olive oil.

for the porcini sauce:

  • the soaking water from the mushrooms.
  • 80ml cognac.
  • 1 knob of butter.
  • 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch.
  • salt.

preparation

Start by soaking the dried mushrooms in hot water and let them sit for a few minutes to rehydrate.
Remove the mushrooms from the water, squeeze out the excess, and keep both the mushrooms and the soaking liquid separate for later.
Pour the mushroom liquid and cognac into a small saucepan over medium heat. Let it reduce slightly, then stir in the knob of butter and the cornstarch dissolved in a bit of water.
Let this simmer until it thickens nicely, then set aside.
Rinse the spinach well, then blanch it quickly in a small amount of salted boiling water.
Drain immediately and spread it out to cool rapidly — don't pile it up or it'll steam and turn mushy.
Chop the spinach finely and sauté it with the spring onions and rehydrated mushrooms (cut them smaller if they're in large pieces). Let everything cool down.
Pat the cod pieces dry and sear them on both sides in a hot griddle pan with just a few drops of oil. They'll finish cooking later in the oven with the pastry, so don't worry about cooking them all the way through. Set aside to cool.
Once the cod and spinach mixture have cooled, cut each puff pastry sheet in half.
Place a piece of cod on each pastry half.
Spoon the spinach and mushroom mixture over the cod.
Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg so they'll stick properly, then fold and seal to make 4 parcels.
Brush the outside with more egg wash and make sure the edges are well sealed so the filling won't escape during baking.
Place the parcels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pop them in the fridge until you're ready to bake.
Preheat your oven to 190°C with both top and bottom heat.
Once the oven is up to temperature, slide the parcels in and bake until the pastry is beautifully golden and crisp.
Bring them to the table straight from the oven with the porcini sauce on the side in a small bowl.

Enjoy!

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