Spanish Chorizo and Chicken Plov

Method

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, soak it for 20 minutes and drain. Cut the chicken into 3 cm pieces, the chorizo into 5 mm half-moons, the onion into 1 cm dice, the carrots into 4 mm sticks and the pepper into 1 cm strips; slice the garlic thinly. Heat the stock, pour a little into a small bowl and crumble in the saffron to steep.

   Add in this stepSaffron threads 1 pinchHot chicken stock 38 ml

2. Put the olive oil and chorizo in a 24 cm wide, heavy pot and cook over medium heat for 2 min, until the chorizo releases its red oil. Lift the chorizo out with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil behind.

   Add in this stepOlive oil 2 tbspSpanish cured chorizo (hot or mild) 80 g

   medium heat

3. Season the chicken with part of the salt and sear it in the red oil over medium-high heat for 6 min, leaving it alone for the first 2 minutes, until golden outside. It doesn't need to be cooked through; it finishes with the rice. Pat it dry first to avoid spitting.

   Add in this stepBoneless chicken thighs 300 gSalt ¼ tsp

   medium-high heat

4. Add the onion, carrots, pepper and garlic and cook over medium heat for 6 min, until the onion is translucent and the carrots bend softly. Scrape up the brown bits on the bottom with a wooden spoon; they are pure flavour.

   Add in this stepOnion 1Carrots 160 gRed bell pepper ½Garlic cloves 3

   medium heat

5. Add the smoked paprika and cumin and stir for just 10 seconds until fragrant, then immediately add the drained rice and stir over medium heat for 1 min 30 sec to coat every grain in oil. Don't turn the heat up: paprika burns quickly and turns bitter.

   Add in this stepSmoked paprika 1 tspWhole cumin seeds ¾ tspLong-grain rice 180 g

   medium heat

6. Pour in the rest of the hot stock, the saffron liquid and the remaining salt, return the chorizo, stir once and level the surface. Bring to the boil over high heat, then cover, turn down to low heat and cook for 15 min. From now on, do not stir. It is ready for the next step when the rice has absorbed the stock and small holes dot the surface.

   Add in this stepHot chicken stock 342 mlSalt ½ tsp

   high heat→low heat

7. Uncover, scatter the peas over the top, raise the heat to medium-high heat and leave for 2 min. When you hear crackling from the bottom and smell toasted rice, the crisp socarrat crust has formed. If it starts to smell burnt, turn off the heat at once.

   Add in this stepFrozen peas 60 g

   medium-high heat

8. Turn off the heat, cover and rest for 5 min. Cut the largest piece of chicken to check it is white all the way through with no pink. Scatter with parsley and serve with lemon wedges, scooping up some of the crust from the bottom with each portion.

   Add in this stepLemon, in wedges ½Chopped flat-leaf parsley 2 tbsp