Having been living in Madrid for the last 8 months, I thought it was about time I shared a Spanish recipe (or at least my take on it).

While Paella is traditionally a rice dish from the Valencia region, it is enjoyed by many Spaniards across Spain. The Valencian paella is made with rabbit, chicken, green beans and saffron in olive oil and a chicken broth but there are many different takes on the dish- seafood being a common choice. Paella is made with a Spanish short grain rice (bomba rice) that absorbs water without becoming mushy. There is no need to wash this rice as maintaining the starchy outer layer is essential for the dish. Unlike a risotto, you do not stir the rice while cooking, if anything you can give the pan a little shimmy just to loosen the rice from the bottom but leaving the rice to sit allows the layers to be formed, creating the soft under layers with a crispy surface. Paella is usually cooked and served in a large paella pan which helps the rice to cook evenly, however, it can just as easily be made in a large standard pan.

I love this recipe because it holds so many lovely memories. Not only does it remind me of my time living in Madrid but the saffron (a key ingredient of Spanish paella) was bought and brought back from a lovely family owned herbal store in Marrakesh which I visited during an unforgettable trip to Morocco recently. As you may known saffron is the most expensive spice in the world due to the intensive labour it requires to harvest. In Morocco it is a very popular spice in many traditional dishes and is slightly cheaper than other places around the world (hence why I bought it there ;)

Saffron has loads of incredible benefits for your health- especially your immune system. It contains antioxidants; crocin, crocelin, safranal and kaempferol. Crocin and crocelin are carotenoid pigments which gives the saffron its red colour and safranal is responsible for the unique taste and aroma. These antioxidants can protect our cells from progressive damage, maintain brain cells, reduce inflammation and may have antidepressant properties.

I really hope you love this recipe as much as I do- It is my favourite one yet. Please let me know if you give it a try :)).

instructions.

1. Marinate the prawns in a little olive oil and half the paprika.

2. Finely dice the onion and the garlic (or use a garlic press).

3. In a pot, add the stock cube and a pinch of saffron to 500ml water, bring to the boil and reduce to low heat to simmer.

4. Meanwhile, on a high heat add a little oil to a pan and place the prawns in the pan. Cook for only a couple minutes until they develop colour then remove from the pan and set aside.

5. Reduce the pan to a medium heat, add a little more oil to the pan (if needed) and sauté the onion until clear. Add the tomatoes and cook until softened.

6. Add the garlic, a small pinch of saffron, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute then add the bomba rice and a splash of white wine and cook for one more minute.

7. Add the stock to the rice, give the pan a little shimmy to evenly spread the rice and then leave without a lid to cook for about 15-20 minutes.

8. When the rice has almost absorbed all the liquid, nestle the prawns into the rice and leave to cook for another 5 minutes.

9. When the rice at the top is tender remove the pan from the heat, cover with a lid or tinfoil and leave to rest for 10 minutes (the top of the paella should become a little cripsy).

10. Serve between two places and garnish with a lemon wedge and a few saffron threads.