k  Episode 1 - A Perfect Paella & Postre at Cala D'Hort  k

I’m delighted to welcome you to the first episode of our brand new LoveFoodIbiza YouTube channel –  a love letter to Ibiza, its people and its food. On Episode 1 I reveal how to make one of THE most perfect paella on the planet when I join the Head Chef and manager of one of Ibiza’s finest restaurants, El Carmen, on the stunning white sands of Cala’D’Hort…and discover the secret ingredients of their world famous ‘Paella Mixta’ house speciality. I also bring to the table my decadent, indulgent chocolate mousse cake – it’s vegan, raw, sugar free and hits the spot perfectly for that happy ending!!

Paella Recipe

I have discovered the Holy Grail of the perfect paella thanks to a magic ingredient – the secret Sofrito! This gives the most incredible depth of flavour and robust richness that is unlike any other paella on the planet.

It is a labour of love and seafood passion that delivers pure paella heaven.

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Ingredients

(Serves 6 – 8)

For the secret Sofrito sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil

10 plum tomatoes chopped

1 chopped onion

4 cloves garlic chopped

3 small dried Nora peppers chopped

250g chicken livers (optional if non meat eater)

2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika

handful chopped parsley

pinch saffron

pinch salt

pinch sugar

For the paella

5-6 tbsp. olive oil
8 langoustines

12 large raw tiger prawns
250g large fresh mussels, cleaned
200g fresh calamari – cleaned & chopped
300 large fresh clams, cleaned
1½ green peppers, seeded and chopped into 1 cm pieces
400g tin/carton passata
4-6 cooked chicken thighs (bones removed chopped into chunks)
400g of secret sauce
600g short-grain paella rice, such as La Fayera
1 heaped tsp loosely packed saffron strands
2 litres good quality fish stock
handful chopped fresh parsley
lemon wedges to serve

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Method

For the Secret Sofrito (you can make in advance)

  1. Put the tomatoes in a bowl pour over boiling water and leave for 3 minutes; peel and discard the skins, then roughly chop the flesh. Heat olive oil in a pan and add the onion, sugar and salt. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions become golden brown.
  2. Stir in the garlic and chopped chicken livers for a couple of minutes, then add nora peppers, smoked paprika, parsley, saffron and cook for another 30 minutes on medium heat. Sauce is done when it deepens in colour and oil separates out. Puree with a blender or pass through a fine sieve and season to taste with salt. This keeps in fridge for up to a week and can be frozen for three months. With this sauce you can achieve paella nirvana!

For the Paella

  1. Place a 50-60 cm paella pan over a burner, if you have one, (or place on 2 cooking rings on a hob) Add the oil and heat until smoking hot, add the langoustines, prawns, mussels and clams and fry for 6–8 minutes until everything cooks evenly and the mussels and clams open (discard any closed ones). Remove from the pan and set aside
  2. Add the calamari and green peppers and fry for 5 minutes until the peppers are just softened and the squid becomes white and opaque
  3. Pour in the passata and add the cooked chicken then thoroughly stir
  4. Pour in the Secret Sofrito and scatter over the fresh parsley
  5. Now return all the cooked seafood to the pan apart from the clams, carefully placing the langoustines on the top in a symmetrical design
  6. Gently pour over the fish stock. Add the paella rice and 1 teaspoon of salt then bring to the boil. Leave to simmer vigorously for 6 minutes over a medium-high heat, but do not stir! Give the pan a turn every 2 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium and leave to cook for a further 15 minutes without stirring – by which time all the liquid will have been absorbed and the surface of the rice should be pitted with small holes7. Turn off the heat, cover the pan with a clean tea towel and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm straight from the pan with lots of lemon wedges, bread and aioli – taste the sea and taste the love!

Postre: Raw decadent chocolate coconut mousse cake

I cannot begin to tell you how ridiculously delicious this recipe is! If you love chocolate and coconut then this is seriously for you. A divine silky chocolate mousse on a wonderful crunchy base with incredible flavours of chocolate and coconut but without any refined sugar, wheat, diary or egg. It’s decadent, rich and exquisite, even a small slice will deliver a dreamy chocolate hit that is beyond belief.

ake-8

If you love chocolate and coconut then this is seriously for you. A divine silky chocolate mousse on a wonderful crunchy base with incredible flavours of chocolate and coconut but without any refined sugar, wheat, dairy or egg…it’s decadent, rich and exquisite, even a small slice will deliver a dreamy chocolate hit that is beyond belief

Ingredients

(Serves 10)

For the crust:

100g blanched almonds

100g hazelnuts

50g unsalted pistachios
40g desiccated coconut
100g medjool dates (pre soak if using regular dates)
20g raw cacao powder (or good quality sugar free cocoa powder)

1 tablespoon date syrup
1 pinch sea salt

For the chocolate coconut mousse:

200g dark chocolate (70/80% minimum)
2 x 400ml can full fat coconut milk (keep in fridge over night)

2 tablespoons date syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or good quality vanilla extract)

Method

  1. You need to put the coconut cans into the fridge at least 24 hours before making this recipe
  1. Grease a non-stick spring-form tin with a little coconut oil (or line with parchment paper)
  2. Put the almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts and desiccated coconut into a food processor and pulse until chunky sandy consistency, then pour into a bowl
  3. Now add the dates, syrup, cacao powder and salt to the food processor, blend until smooth
  4. Add the nut mixture into the blended dates , and mix until completely combined. Place into your prepared tin, press down the mixture firmly on the base and one inch around the sides (use a spoon and your fingers to really work the mixture into shape) and place in the freezer.
  5. Remove the coconut milk cans from the fridge turn the can upside down and open the opposite side. Gently pour the liquid milk to separate from the hard cream at the bottom (you only want to use the thick part of the coconut, discard the milk, or drink, or use in another recipe like a Thai curry)
  6. Put the coconut cream into a food mixer or use an electric handheld whisk
    Beat for about 5 minutes, stopping occasionally to wipe down the side of the bowl. You will see it becomes the consistency of whipped cream
  7. Now melt the chocolate in a metal/or glass bowl a water bath over a pan of simmering water. Stir it time from to time until nice and melted. Add the date syrup and vanilla paste, then leave to cool before adding the cream
  8. Reserve about 2 teaspoons of the whipped cream (for decoration) then slowly fold the cream into the chocolate mixture, mix well until evenly blended (you might need to pop it back into the blender, or use an electric whisk to ensure its fully combined)
  9. Remove the nut base from the freezer and pour the chocolate mixture and smooth out until you have an even surface
  10. Now carefully spoon the reserved whipped coconut cream over the top of the mousse and then using a skewer or folk to mix up to create a pretty marble effect
  11. Refrigerate until set (about 3-4 hours) you can speed this up by freezing. Served super chilled and be prepared to seriously enjoy!

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