Today, Head Chef Michael Knowles will be doing a live demonstration at Best of the West Festival in Inveraray. The festival is a two day celebration of local food, drink and music, and takes place across 12th and 13th September with Michael’s slot 13:30pm Saturday.
The following is the recipe he will cooking live;
Loch Melfort Paella to serve 6
10 Chicken Mini Fillets or 6 Chicken Breasts
150g Sliced Spanish Chorizo
100g Cubed Pancetta
1 Large White Onion
4 Garlic Cloves
2 Litres of Chicken Stock
0.5g Saffron Threads
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
500g Paella Rice
1 Small handful of Chopped Parsley and Coriander
100g Fresh or Frozen Peas
8-10 Langoustines – blanched and shelled
500g Washed Mussels
10-15 Cherry Vine Tomatoes – halved horizontally
1 diced Courgette
2 Diced Peppers
Marigold Flowers to serve
Method
Blanch the langoustines and de-shell. Par-boil the rice with half the stock and half the saffron for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the sauce by browning chorizo, pancetta and chicken, then onions and garlic. Then add the remaining stock, rice, peas and mussels, followed by courgette, peppers, langoustines and parsley. Serve with tomato and marigolds.