Recipe for Ummera Smoked Chicken Paella

From The Irish Farmers’ Market Cookbook, by Clodagh McKenna: Clodagh came up with this recipe when she had a stall in Courtmacsherry, next toAnthony Cresswell, owner of the nearby Ummera Smokehouse.

Serves 10

8 tbsp olive oil

150g (5oz) chorizo, sliced

2 onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

8 tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced

270g (9½oz) paella rice Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp turmeric

800ml (11/3 pints) hot chicken stock

500g (1lb 2oz) live mussels — see note on preparation below

6 large prawns, whole, raw and unshelled

300g (10oz) Ummera smoked chicken, sliced

50g (2oz) Desmond cheese (or parmesan) grated

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Heat a large paella pan or heavy-bottomed frying pan, about 30cm (12in) diameter, over a medium heat and add the olive oil. When hot, fry chorizo until crispy. Add the onions, garlic, tomatoes and red pepper, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir the rice into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Add the paprika and turmeric, followed by the hot stock, and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Add the mussels and prawns and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Scatter the pieces of smoked chicken over the rice, followed by the Desmond cheese. Leave to simmer for 3 minutes, then cover for a further 10 minutes or until the mussels have opened completely. Serve with lemon wedges.

How to prepare mussels: First, check if the mussels are alive (dead ones should be discarded). To do this, place them under cold running water: if they close, they’re good to eat, if they remain open throw them away. Clean shells in running water. Pull the beard off closed shells. Mussels that remain closed after cooking should be discarded.