Chicken, asparagus & crayfish paella with almond alioli

olive oil for frying
1 onion, finely diced
2 small chicken breasts (around 300g altogether), cut into 2cm-3cm dice
1 crayfish tail, shell cut away and meat diced (and legs too if you have them)
1 chorizo sausage (or 1 black pudding sausage), cut into 2cm-3cm dice
3 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste
1 teaspoon saffron threads
400g calasparra or medium-grain rice, unwashed
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1@1⁄4 litres light chicken stock, brought to the boil
juice of 1 lemon
1 fresh bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
6 asparagus spears, tough ends snapped off and cut into 1cm lengths
100g peas
100ml extra virgin olive oil

Cover the base of a 25-30cm non-stick flat frying pan with olive oil, add the onion and chicken, and fry gently until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add a little more oil to the pan, add the crayfish, chorizo and garlic and sear over high heat for about
3 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Add the saffron and rice to the pan with more oil if needed. Stir the rice well so it is coated with oil and fry until slightly opaque.

Sprinkle the paprika over and season with salt and pepper. Pour in the boiling stock and a squeeze of lemon juice, and add the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Reduce the heat to low, return the onion, chicken and chorizo to the pan and cook uncovered over low heat for about 20 minutes. Stir the rice over only once and leave to cook without stirring. After 10-15 minutes of cooking return the crayfish (or fish) to the pan with the asparagus and peas. Gently mix in.

Take the paella off the heat while the rice still has some bite to it and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve the paella at the table in the dish it has been cooked in.

Serve with almond alioli (recipe follows) on the side.

Almond Alioli
Add the chopped nuts at the end of making this alioli (the Spanish spelling of aïoli) or their oil will split the mayonnaise, as will the garlic paste if added early. And add more lemon juice or vinegar if you prefer a more tart emulsion. Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature for the best result.
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
100g blanched almonds, roasted until golden
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons lemon juice
250ml extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

With the flat blade of a knife, crush the garlic to a paste with the salt. In a food processor, coarsely chop the nuts then remove and set aside. Place the egg yolks in the food processor with the lemon juice and process until light and fluffy then, with the motor running, slowly add the oil in a steady stream until thick and creamy. Add the garlic paste and some pepper and finally the nuts. Serve with the paella.