SQUID RINGS RECIPES

Steps:

• Clean and prepare the fresh squid. Pull the tentacles away from the body. Remove the quill from inside the body and discard. Clean the body by running it under a tap or cleaning it in a bowl of water.
• Remove the 'ears' from either side of the squid body and remove the skin with your fingers.
• Cut the tentacles just below the eyes, being sure not to cut the ink sac. Be sure to remove the 'beak' at the base of the tentacles.
• Cut the squid body into rings.
• On a clean chopping board, crush the garlic with the flat edge of a knife blade. Peel away the skin. Sprinkle over the sea salt and crush the garlic to a fine paste with the knife.
• Finely chop the mint and coriander.
• Finely slice the chilli.
• Heat a frying pan over a moderate heat. Add the olive oil, garlic paste and chilli. Cook for a minute or two, until the garlic just begins to brown.
• Add the prepared squid to the pan and stir for a couple of minutes.
• Season with sea salt. Add the mint and coriander to the pan and stir.
• Remove the pan from the heat, and squeeze over the lime juice and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a 38cm/15in paella pan – ideally non-stick. A paella pan is best, but if you don’t have one, use a very wide, shallow non-stick saucepan, flameproof casserole dish or sauté pan.
• Place the pan over a medium heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt and black pepper and fry them for about five minutes, turning every now and then until lightly coloured. Add the chorizo and cook for 30 seconds more, turning once. Transfer the chicken and chorizo to a large heatproof bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan.
• Add the onions to the pan and fry gently for 4–5 minutes until softened and very lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add the peppers and green beans to the onions and cook for two minutes until they are beginning to soften. Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, saffron, bay leaf and rice and cook for 1–2 minutes until the rice is glistening all over.
• Return the chicken and chorizo to the pan, along with any juices. Stir well, then pour in the chicken stock and season with black pepper. Stir once or twice and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Cook for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Tip the mussels into the partly cooked rice mixture and stir once more, making sure they are well tucked into the hot rice and steaming liquid. Return to a simmer and cook for three minutes or until most of the mussels have opened, stirring occasionally.
• Scatter the squid and prawns over the top of the paella and stir well. Continue cooking for 4–5 minutes until the squid and prawns are cooked, the rice is tender and almost all the liquid has been absorbed. The prawns should be completely pink when cooked.
• It’s important not to keep stirring after the squid and prawns are added – you want the rice to become lightly browned and a bit sticky at the sides of the pan as this adds flavour. Keep an eye on the heat though, as you don’t want the rice to burn. Add a splash more water if the paella begins to look very dry before the rice is ready. Pick out any mussels that haven’t opened by the end of the cooking time and chuck them away. Serve hot with lemon wedges for squeezing.