Paella

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 green pepper, finely chopped

2 chicken breasts, cut into 1cm cubes

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 tomatoes, skinned, de-seeded and chopped (or half a can of chopped tomatoes)

300g paella rice

1L chicken stock

A pinch of saffron

Salt and pepper

100g frozen peas

12 mussels, in their shells, cleaned and rinsed

6 smallish langoustines, or 12 king prawns (unpeeled, either of them)

In a saucepan, warm the stock. Add the saffron to the stock, and remove from the heat to stand.

Put a large frying pan on the hob, over a medium heat. Add the olive oil, and gently fry the onion and pepper for 5 minutes until glossy but not brown. Add the chicken and garlic, and brown the chicken very lightly.

Add the tomatoes, rice and ¾ of the stock. Add a good twist of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then leave to simmer very gently (uncovered) for 20 minutes. Don’t stir it! Add a little more stock, if necessary, to prevent the paella sticking.

Add the peas and both shellfish, and gently cover with the paella. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Check for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if required, then serve. Share out the goodies carefully, or there’ll be a fight.