GF Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Mmmmmmmmmm Paella, I love it! The husband recently made a lovely baked recipe, that I adapted for on the hob yesterday as the oven is on the blink. It's different to the one I normaly make as it has no spices in it, except saffron, as all the flavour comes from the chorizo, and it contains rosemary which is unusual. When buying your chorizo make sure its GF, most are, and I prefer thinly slices stuff as its less chewy, but have it how you like really! This is a meat paella for those who are not into seafood, but feel free to add some big blue prawns at the end, shell off or shell on, for a more fishy flavour. I make this in my casserole dish too, though a deep wide frying pan is cool too. It will stick more in a frying pan so keep an eye on it.

chicken breasts 2, cubed
chorizo 15 slices of large thin sliced sausage, or equivalent, chopped
white onion 1, chopped
red and yellow peppers 2, sliced
risotto or paella rice, 1 cup
saffron threads, 1 pinch, chopped and soaked in a little boiling water
kallo GF chicken stock cube 1, made up as per instructions (use water or own stock if casein free)
fresh vine tomatoes 6, skinned, de-seeded and chopped
fresh rosemary, 1 sprig chopped (about a teaspoon full) - don't use dried!
salt and pepper

Fry your onion till soft, add the chicken and fry till white all over. Add chorizo and rice and mix round over the heat till the rice becomes transparent for a minute or two, then add peppers and tomatoes and fry for a couple of minutes. Add stock, saffron plus its liquid and rosemary. Cook over a medium heat on the hob so its just bubbling, stiring very occasionaly so it doesnt stick, until the rice is soft but still with a bit of bite, some juices should remain, this should take about 20 mins. Add more water if nessesary, don't stir too much or you will get rice pudding. Salt and pepper to taste at the end as the chorizo is very salty. I also splash a bit of chilli oil in at the end for a bit of heat.

If you are adding shell on praws place them ontop of the dish at the end, cover for a few minutes and serve when pink, if adding shell off ones you can do the same, but stir them into the dish at the end. Don't stir in shell on prawns! The legs and things will come off into the paella and thats not nice!

We like paella with lots of lime wedges to sqeeze over, yum yum!

GF Pork Cassoulet

For Christmas last year I got a casserole dish, and since then have branched out into various stews and casseroles, its also great for doing a curry in, or paella. On Sunday I made a yummy french style cassoulet, using the new Toulouse style sausages that Sainsbury's are currently stocking, and which are gluten free of course!

Here is my quick recipe, that cheats with the bean part, so its very quick to cook.

white onion 1, chopped
carrots 3, peeled and chopped
pork 2 chops, cubed (or loin or belly pork, any will do for this stew)
Toulouse sausages 6, skinned and chopped in half
kallo GF chicken stock cube 1, made up as per instructions (use water or own stock is casein free)
tomato puree 1/4 of a tube
garlic clove 1, chopped
baked beans, 1 tin, drained and washed of sauce! or a tin of white beans
parsley handful, chopped

If your casserole dish is big enough you can start by frying your sausages and pork in very hot oil. As I don't like to stress my casserole dish too much I cook mine first in a frying pan, if you do want to cook in the dish do this and then take them out while you do the onions.

While the sausages and pork are browning nice in the frying pan cook the onion and carrot till soft in the casserole dish, add garlic and fry for one minute. Add pork, sausages, stock and tomato puree to pan and cook on the stove on a very low heat or in the oven on a medium heat for 30 mins until reduced. Skim off any foam, add beans and heat the beans through. Don't cook for too long if using 'Heinz' type beans as they will go to mush, normal tinned beans without sauce can stand a longer cooking.

Sprinkle with the parsley and serve in deep dishes with lots of crusts GF baguettes, warmed or cooked in the oven. Sainsbury's part bakes GF baguettes are very good.