Cooking Shenanigans
Paella and Albariño Wine
I had the pleasure of doing a cooking party a couple of weeks ago with a HNW family.
The father wanted to learn how to cook something that could feed the masses and impress his parents. This is a man whose cooking skills are limited (he once put an egg in a kettle to boil it….
After a conversation and getting to know you session we agreed that the main should be Paella, followed by white chocolate mousse.
Easy, eh? At least I think so. It is important to remember that what is simple to one person is not necessarily simple to another.
I rocked up on a Saturday with all the ingredients and some wine to feed a dinner party of 8.
For a paella I would be very tempted to go with a red wine, however, on this occasion, I chose a white wine as not everyone at the dinner party is a fan of red. The couple’s knowledge of wine is limited, and they put their complete faith in me. It was a success!
The hubby (with my assistance) cooked a beautiful meal for 8 people (with leftovers).
It was a resounding success and it filled me with joy to see his happiness at learning a simple meal and to see his family and friends enjoying his hard work.
The paella recipe used was one that has been passed on to me from our au pairs. When my son was younger, we had au pairs and they were always from Spain. Beautiful friendships and bonds were formed that are strong and prevalent to this day. Our au pairs and their families are friends for life!
Paella is traditionally a meat-based dish using rabbit, chicken thighs, and chorizo. On this occasion I used chicken thighs and chorizo only. No one in the family liked rabbit! And the customer is always right!
The wine
This is such an important part of the meal (for me anyway). It is when the gathering sits down and enjoys the hard work of the chef. A good wine to toast to is always important.
The wine I chose to feature with the paella was a Bodega Garzon, Reserva Albariño, Maldonado, Uruguay, 2019. The vineyard is 11 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, hillside slopes, benefitting from microclimates.
On the nose it was smoky, with a hint of oak and, peach, and apple. On the palate it was tart, citrus, lemony, fresh, and crisp. It was beautiful and complemented the paella fantastically.
After/During dinner (the paella) the texture of the wine was smooth. It highlighted the garlic and lemon flavours.
A lovely wine paired perfectly with the paella.
The Recipes
Paella: ingredients
· A box of paella
· Onions (dice it)
· Garlic cloves (diced or grated in) – Lots of it.
· Chicken stock (about 1 litre)
· 225ml of white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
· Chicken thighs (I used two large packs from the butchers – approx. 10-12 thighs)
· Chorizo
· Broad beans (2 cups approx.)
· Red pepper
· Salt/Pepper
· Saffron
· Paprika
Dice the onions and garlic. Drizzle olive oil (I used extra virgin for this one)
Pan fry the onions, garlic for a couple minutes.
Pour in the pack of paella rice. Mix the paella rice with the onions and garlic.
Gradually pour in the chicken stock.
Once the paella mix is wet, put in the raw chicken thighs and chorizo.
Mix and add seasoning (salt/pepper)
Pour some more chicken stock as the mixture reduces add in the paprika
Pour the white wine and once it reduces add in the saffron (a handful of strands. Be generous but not too generous as saffron can be expensive).
Pour the remaining chicken stock into the paella.
Reduce the temperature to simmer.
Cover the Paella pan with foil and leave for 15-20 min.
Check on it, give it a quick stir and cover again.
The aim here is to have the bottom crispy – that is the best bit!
Total cooking time – approximately 60 min.
White Chocolate Mousse: Ingredients
· White chocolate
· 300 ml Double cream
· Chocolate chips
For the mousse I used a bar of Green & Black’s white chocolate and 2 bars of white chocolate Waitrose brand.
Heat 150 ml of double cream on low heat on the hob. This is important. It must gradually simmer to boil. Once just boiled take off the hob immediately.
At this point, put in the bars of white chocolate. Mix it in with the 150mls double cream until melted and mixed through. Put to the side and leave until this mixture is room temperature (take about 40 min).
Take the remaining double cream and whisk until thick and peaky. Once the cream is whipped (tip the bowl over and it should not fall out at all), take the room temperature mixture and fold it into whipped cream bowl. Do not whisk or beat it again (it will curdle it).
Mix and pour into ramekins.
Put in fridge and let set for 45- 60 min.
To serve: take out the ramekins and drizzle some milk chocolate chips on it. This of course is optional.