Spanish Rice With Squid. Ole!

Hi Blog! Sorry I haven't been around for a couple of days. Now that the weather is so much prettier, I've been spending more time outside in the garden, planting veggie seeds, pulling weeds and trying to figure out what animal(s) is living in my compost bin. Whatever it is, it has tunneled underground and into the greenhouse and is doing a fantastic job of turning over all the decomposing vegetables. I pulled a load of compost out from the bottom yesterday to dig into the garden, and just like last time, it smelled really lemon/limey because of all the citrus peels I toss in there while I'm cooking.
It's also possible that I discovered the Angry Birds game two days ago and so have been absolutely glued to my iPhone for the past two days playing it...

So I haven't posted any recipes or chatter on you for a few days, but I have been cooking as much as always and will post my recipes in a little bit. I've had some serious banana cake and stuffed chicken successes, as well as a truly memorable evening at Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, so I'll post about that incredible experience too.
A few nights ago, I was planning on making a Thai noodle dish with some squid, but when it came to it, I just wasn't feeling Thai at all so I made this simple little Spanish-style rice dish with saffron and peppers. The addition of the smoked paprika is fantastic with the squid, especially when sprinkled with a generous squeeze of lemon juice to finish.

Spanish Rice with Squid and Saffron
Serves 2, takes 20-25 minutes

250g (9oz) bomba (paella) rice
500ml (pint) good chicken stock
1 medium red onion, diced
8 squid tubes and tentacles, cleaned
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp hot, smoked paprika
large pinch, Spanish saffron
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow pepper, diced

To serve:
1 lemon, quartered
leafy salad

Bring the stock to the boil and then turn off the heat while getting the rest of the dish started.
Heat the oil over a medium-high heat and sautee for a minute or so, until it begins to soften, then add the paprika and saffron. Stir-fry for another minute or so before adding the peppers and garlic.
When the peppers are also beginning to soften, stir the rice in well, making sure to coat well in the oils. Cook the rice for a minute or so before pouring in the hot stock. Bring the pan to a low simmer, then turn the heat down to low, cover the pan and leave to cook for 10 or so minutes until all the water has been absorbed and the bottom of the pan is quite dry.
While the rice is cooking, trim the tentacles so remove the hard beaky bit and cut them in half. Slice the the tentacles into rings about 5mm (1/4") wide.
Turn your grill on high and when the rice is cooked through, stir the squid through and cook for
a minute. Pop under the grill for a further minute-90 seconds to begin to ever so slightly brown the rice. Take care not to over cook, as the squid will have the consistency of rubber bands.

Serve with a wedge of lemon and a mixed green salad with ripe tomatoes.

Spanish Rice Roast

Velvety Squid and Chorizo Stew

I am totally, utterly sick of this weather. On one hand, it gives me a really good excuse to not do any grueling yard-work but on the other, the house is all stuffy because I can't leave the windows open for two minutes without hearing "You're letting all the heat out!!!" This has been going on for too long now and I'm going a little stir-crazy but I do rather like curling up on the sofa for an afternoon doing something useless and crafty while dinner cooks slooooowly over a low heat, warming the house with tasty smells.

This dish actually isn't as time consuming as some winter stews, but it is absolutely packed with vibrant flavour from the chorizo and slow cooked squid. Squid has to be cooked either super quick or low and slow, anything in between leaves you with chewy rubbery yuck. Slow cooking breaks down the collagen that makes up the squid meat and releases it into the sauce of this stew, giving it a wonderfully luxurious texture.
Following the theme of the week, this dish is stupid-cheap, serving 4+ at less than £4.50. It's probably the best tasting £4.50 you can spend and is so incredibly good for you, not to mention a good way to introduce kids to squid because if the soft texture.

Squid, Chorizo and White Bean Stew
1 tbsp olive oil (not extra virgin, its smoke point is too low)
250g/4oz Spanish or portuguese style chorizo, casing removed, cut in half then sliced.
1 stalk celery, finely chopped.
12 oz squid tubes and tentacles, (cleaned) cut into 1" rings, beak removed from tentacles
1 large yellow onion, sliced 1/4 thick
4-5 large cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
1 1/2 cups of dried cannelini beans (Soak over night, simmer in unsalted water for 2 hours) OR
1 1/2 cans of same, already soaked)
1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp tomato paste/puree
4 large, salted anchovy fillets, chopped*
1 1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
grated zest of one lemon (keep the flesh for later)
small handful fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 quart good (home made pref) **chicken stock

In a med- high sautee pan, heat the olive oil and add the onion slices and fry until golden/translucent.
Add the pieces of chorizo and stir in, cook for a couple of minutes until the sausage gives up some of its oil and colour. Then add the celery, chilli, smoked paprika and squid.
Sautee for 4-5 mins until the celery softens and the whole mixture is well coloured by the sausage and spices. Add the cooked or canned beans, stir.
Pour over the chicken stock, (and pulled chicken meat) Add the garlic, tomato paste, salt and lemon zest.
Bring to a bare simmer, lower the heat and cover for approx. 1 hour, checking once for moisture levels and to stir.
After an hour, uncover and turn the heat up slightly to reduce the liquid. Allow to cook for about another half hour at a loooow simmer. The starch form the beans will thicken the sauce some.

Best served in a bowl, scattered with the fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice with very crusty bread.

*Note: For all you anchovy haters, I PROMISE, you wont be able to tell they're in here. They just bring a gorgeous round richness to the sauce. It will do the same in tomato-y pasta sauces and braised meat dishes, but that's another blog post. If you don't believe me leave the anchovies out and it will still be a tasty, tasty dish.
**If you make your own stock and take the time to pull any remaining meat from the bones of the chicken, add this to the stew, it's a lovely additional texture.

Will warm your frostiest cockles.