Spring 2022

Personal Paella from Noosa Personal Chef

Georgia Beard discovers the recipe for mouthwatering Seafood Paella from Noosa Personal Chef!  

When Chef Raphael Andreucci Miragaia Ribeiro steps into your kitchen, he plates up restaurant-quality cuisine with all the personality of a homemade meal. 

This is the promise of Noosa Personal Chef, the healthy catering service feeding the homes of countless busy families across the region. 

After a consultation with Raphael’s wife and gut health nutritionist Melissa, you can place an order from their pre-set menu or personalise your own meal plan. 

Whether you’re hosting a celebration or an everyday dinner, Raphael will prepare a feast to outdo cheap takeaway and avoid groceries going to waste.

Raphael loves to use local produce with Noosa Reds being one of his favourites ingredients to add colour and flavour. 

We asked Raphael to share the recipe for his mouthwatering Seafood Paella – prawns and squid nestled in a bed of rice and infused with a sofrito of saffron, paprika and rich, spray-free tomatoes from Noosa Reds. 

If you’re lacking some culinary creation, get in touch with Noosa Personal Chef and enjoy the cuisine without the stress of cooking! 

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SEAFOOD PAELLA

Ingredients:

• 2 white onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 lemon
• 100ml tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
• 250g of Noosa Reds tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon of paprika
• A few strands of saffron
• 4 squid, cleaned
• 2 cups of paella rice
• 6 cups of fish broth or chicken broth (or more if needed)
• 250ml of white wine
• 10 King Prawns, cleaned
• 300g of Mooloolaba Prawns, raw and cleaned
• 300g of octopus legs
• A paella pan (or frying pan) 40cm in diameter

Method:

1. Start with cooking the octopus legs in one medium pan. Bring water to the boil and cook for 40 min with half lemon and half onion. Save the water after finish to use as your broth.
2. Then begin cooking the sofrito. Fry the finely chopped onion in the hot oil. Remove the onion with a wooden spoon frequently, so that it does not burn. Stir fry until the onion starts to brown.
3. Add the finely chopped garlic. Before it starts to take colour, add the Noosa Reds tomatoes.
4. Add the sugar to neutralise the acidity of the tomato, salt to taste, paprika and a few strands of saffron.
5. Stir all the ingredients and let them fry until the tomatoes are reduced and begin to sizzle.
6. After the sofrito is done, cut the squid into rings and leave the legs whole.
7. Add the squid and Mooloolaba Prawns and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
8. Add the paella rice and distribute throughout the paella pan so the grains adhere to the ingredients.
9. In a separate saucepan, heat the broth together with the wine, and when it is hot, pour it into the paella pan.
10. Increase the temperature and add more salt. Stir everything again so the paella rice is well covered by the broth.
11. When it comes to the boil, lower the temperature and let everything simmer for 18 to 20 minutes.
12. After 10 minutes of cooking, add the King Prawns on top until they turn pink, then turn them over so they cook on the other side.
13. Add the octopus legs on top.
14. Pour a little more broth towards the end of cooking if the paella is too dry.
15. After 20 minutes, taste the paella rice. If it is well done, turn off the heat and cover the paella pan with a cloth or aluminium foil to rest. Serve the paella after 5 minutes of rest.
16. Enjoy!