Yesterday was Adriano’s birthday but he was away down the island because of a race today in soldier-training country. He had a bung leg because of a fall last week in which he split his eyebrow open and distorted his little finger. Four stitches later, he came home limping, with a sore finger and black eye. But still he went off to the race on Friday and, though he didn’t do well by his standards, he was still in the first twenty out of 500 racers.
Anyway, I cooked his birthday dinner tonight and, since he loves seafood, I chose to do paella – for the first time, I might add. I found Jamie Oliver’s recipe online and printed it out. I then converted it to a low Fodmap version and well, it turned out great. It was a bit of work but nothing too hard and oh, so tasty.
- 1 big chicken breast
- White rice flour
- olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic-infused olive oil
- 2 onion and garlic-free sausages (check ingredients with butcher)
- 6 slices streaky bacon
- 2 litres of chicken stock
- 2 pinches of saffron
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 500g arborio rice
- parsley
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 10 king prawns
- a pack of mixed seafood including mussels and squid rings
- Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF. Season the chicken pieces and dust with flour. Heat a little olive oil and the garlic-infused oil in a large deep saucepan and fry the chicken until golden brown on both sides. Place the pieces on a baking tray and into the oven for 30 minutes.
- Put the pan back on the heat. Add the sliced sausage and bacon and fry until browned and crispy. Meanwhile infuse half the hot chicken stock with the saffron. Add the smoked paprika, rice and infused stock and leave to cook on a medium heat, stirring from time to time.
- After 20 minutes the rice should be nearly cooked. At this point, pour in the rest of the stock along with the peas, prawns, and the mussels and squid if you are using them. Place a lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes more.
- Finally, add the cooked chicken and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley and a wedge of lemon.
Peas are not lowfodmap,nor is worsted shire sauce and onions Jamie.