Octopus and Chorizo Paella

INGREDIENTS

• 2 bags of cooked Octopus (16 oz. tentacles) frozen, thawed and drained 
• Shrimp Optional
• 30 ml  Lemon olive oil
• 2 cups of broth
• 1 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 pack of Chorizo
• 1 cup of Spanish Calasparra Rice
• 1/4 cup  of flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped
• 2 teaspoon Spanish sweet paprika
• sea salt flakes, to sprinkle

METHOD

Heat the  lemon olive oil in a 34 cm (13½ inch) paella pan or large, deep, heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for 30 seconds then add the Chorizo and cook for a further minute. Reduce the heat to low–medium.

Add the rice and mix to coat the rice with the sauce. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the rice just starts to become translucent. Gradually add chopped Octopus and stir in medium heat.From this point onwards, do not stir the paella, as a the socorat (crust) needs to form on the bottom of the pan. If the flame or element doesn’t cover the base of the pan, move the pan around during cooking to allow the paella to cook evenly. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the rice has swollen just a little. Reduce the heat to low–medium and arrange the octopus slices around the top of the paella. Sprinkle with the parsley and paprika.

Cook for a further 10 minutes then increase the heat to high for 1 minute to form a crust on the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat, cover with a clean tea towel (dish towel) and allow to rest. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and serve warm.