Cheat's Chicken and Chorizo Paella

I can safely say I have never known a summer like this one. We had a bit of rain during the night two weeks ago but since then not a drop of water has come out of the sky in this part of Yorkshire. Instead of our usual assortment of cooked meals we've been looking for something different to eat. On a Sunday we always have a type of roast but when we cooked a chicken we decided to let it cool and have it with salad instead. On the previous night we had a luxury macaroni cheese with chorizo in it. We ended up with some chicken and chorizo left over which of course makes the perfect base for a paella. I had also baked a cake needing just the zest of a lemon so the remainder of it went in as well.

I have eaten paella in Valencia and I'm not sure the natives would approve of my version but it does make a very dish which fits in with this hot weather. For an authentic touch we used paella rice which we were able to buy at our local supermarket.

Equipment: Large frying pan or paella dish with lid

Ingredients

1tbsp (15ml) Olive oil

Lemon, cut in half

8oz (225g) Cooked chicken, diced

2oz (55g) Chorizo, diced

2 Cloves of garlic, crushed

1 Onion, chopped

6 Plum tomatoes, halved

2 Bay leaves

12oz (340g) Paella rice

1½ pints (840ml) Chicken stock

Parsley for garnish

Method

1. Heat the oil in the pan.

2. Put the lemon halves in the pan cut side down and then add the chicken and chorizo.

3. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and put to one side for later.

4. In the same pan gently fry the garlic, onion and tomatoes for a few minutes.

5. Then add the bay leaves and rice before cooking again for a few minutes.

6. Return the chicken and chorizo and enough of the chicken stock to cover the mixture.

7. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer.

8. Partially cover the pan with a lid.

9. Add more stock a ladle at a time until it is has all absorbed.

10. After about 15 minutes the rice should be cooked through.

11. Serve with the parsley scattered on top of it.