Lemony Prawn & Chorizo Rice Pot

It's 11:45 PM, both kids are sleeping and I'm in front of the TV.  My right hand is inside a bag of vinegar potato chips with a tall glass of cold Coca Cola in front of me that my hand will grab next after it goes out of the potato chip bag. Ahhhh, the pleasures of junk food in front of the TV is the champion of champions.

I don't get to do this often, especially when there are kids who keep me under a microscope. I tackle the big job of disciplining and all the dramas and tantrums attached with it and as a parent, I cannot show my imperfections like what I am doing now. Don't get me wrong.  I am not an authoritarian.  I have a soft spot too and I was also a kid once.  Sometimes, my husband and I gather both kids on a popcorn, chips & soda party in place of dinner while we watch a movie together. I don't need to describe the happiness and excitement of both kids. And I don't need to describe how much my heart swells when I receive myriads of hugs and thank yous from them. Life is not about being correct at all times. At times, the best flecks in our memories are remembered this way.

But before I arrived at the couch with the "not so healthy" food in my hands, I cooked a healthy dish of rice with prawns, chorizo & peas for lunch. Not only was it healthy but it was also incredibly delicious. It's another one of those recipes that need to kept and cooked again. Two-year old, six-year old, and two adults loved this dish so it can be eaten by the whole family.  Fussy kids might pick on the peas and the pepper but that's part of the fun of eating with kids. They eat everything except the ones that look suspiciously healthy which practically leaves them nothing.

Our two words today are:

Shrimps = gamberi.
Peas = piselli.

Adapted from the recipe of Sarah Cook of BBC Good Food with the link here.  I followed the recipe almost completely with a couple of tweaks.  I replaced the water with chicken broth to make it tastier.  In place of the turmeric, I used saffron.   I prefer the taste of saffron and it's one of the spices that I can freely use in my cooking without any form of protest from the kids. 

Hope you all had a good weekend.  
 

Lemony Prawn & Chorizo Rice Pot

Ingredients:
Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 small red peppers, deseeded and sliced
• 50 grams chorizo, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 red chilli, chopped and deseeded
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron (1/2 teaspoon tumeric in the original recipe)
• 250 grams long grain rice (I used Vialone Nano.)
• 200 grams prawns, shelled & deveined
• 100 grams frozen peas
• 1 lemon, zest and juice plus extra wedges to serve 
• 750 ml. chicken broth (water in the original recipe)
• salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Boil chicken broth in a pot. 
2. Meantime, heat the oil in a shallow pan with a lid.  Add onion, peppers, chorizo, garlic and chilli, then fry over a high heat for 3 minutes. 
3. Add saffron and rice, stirring to ensure the rice is coated.  
4. Pour in 500 ml. of chicken broth, cover, then cook for 12 minutes.  
5. Stir in prawns and peas.  Add more broth if rice is looking dry, then cook for 1 minute more or until the prawns are just pink and the rice tender. 
6. Stir in the lemon zest and juice with salt & pepper and serve with extra lemon wedges on the side.