One of the best things about travelling is trying new food. I know I’m not alone in this foodie obsession because there are so many food and travel blogs popping up all over the internet. We are a nation of food fanatics and any blog that combines food and travel is a winner in my eyes!

There’s nothing better than discovering a new dish while you’re travelling and then recreating it once your home.

One of my favourite meals is a Spanish paella and it’s amazingly simple to make at home.

Paella brings back memories of lazy beach-side lunches where an enormous pan of paella is cooking on coal. A man will stand there all day stirring the huge pan and the delightful smells waft along the beach and tempt everyone up from their sun loungers in search of a taste. Family holidays were always fuelled by paella and this was one of the first dishes my mum taught me to cook when I was a kid.

Paella is surprisingly simple to cook but if you make it in a huge pan it really has the wow-factor. Serve it with homemade sangria and juicy wedges of lemons and it’s perfect for a dinner party or impressing your friends.

Super simple paella recipe

Most people will choose from either:

• Chorizo and Chicken or
• Seafood

Maybe we’re greedy in my family but we go for both!

In all honesty, I never weigh and measure things out, I just chuck in as much or as little as I have. It’s a great recipe for clearing out the fridge. Make sure you have roughly equal measurements with your veggies and cook the veg in order of crunchiness.

To make this really simple, prep your veg beforehand and then all you need to do is keep adding ingredients to your pan – preferably with a glass of sangria in one hand and a big spoon in the other.

Ingredients for Paella

Fish and meat

• Chicken breasts cut into small dices
• Chorizo
• Seafood – it’s easiest to use a bag of mixed frozen seafood
• Large Prawns

Veggies & rice

• Onion (red or white)
• Peppers
• Frozen peas or sugar snap peas
• Green beans
• Baby corn
• Celery
• 1/4 cup of paella rice per person

Seasoning

• 2 table spoons of olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Chicken stock with a teaspoon of paprika
• White wine
• Lemon wedges

Instructions

• Use the largest pan you have
• Fry up your onions and garlic until the onions are soft
• Add your chorizo and cook for a few minutes
• Add your chicken
• When your chicken is almost cooked, add your crunchiest vegetables
• Add your vegetables every 3-5 minutes in order of crunchiest to make sure they’re all cooked the same amount
• Add your prawns and seafood mix
• Once your seafood is cooked add your rice and about half of your chicken stock
• Warning: At this point you’ll think you don’t have nearly enough rice. Do not be tempted to add more. You will have enough!
• Add more chicken stock as it’s absorbed until your rice is almost cooked
• Slowly add about 1-2 glasses of white wine to keep the paella moist until it is cooked

This post was part of Expedia’s World on a Plate Challenge. They’re challenging bloggers to whip up a storm in the kitchen and create a meal inspired by their favourite destinations. Check out the #worldonaplatechallenge hashtag to see what the other bloggers are up to.