Originating in Valencia, paella is the most typical of Spanish foods. It has been made in countless variations as this dish is most flexible when it comes to ingredients. Any vegetables, meats or seafood can be used when making paella, so it's a really adaptable recipe to make.

Traditionally, paella was cooked in flat metal pans called paellera over an open fire. Today it is still generally accepted that if thepaella hasn't been cooked outside, then it isn't a real paella. But what makes this dish so great is that you can add almost anything to the rice and stock and have a delicious hearty meal for all the family.

In this recipe saffron is included, but as this isn't an authentic Paella Valencia, that can be omitted to make the meal cheaper. Think of this recipe as a paella guideline, you can tweek it to suit your budget and/or what ingredients you have.

Serves 4 - 6

250g tomatoes

1 red or green pepper

200g green beans

3 artichokes

250g squid

1.2kg chicken

250g pork fillet

150ml olive oil

3 garlic cloves

1 onion

400g short grain rice

2 litres fish stock

6 langoustines

1 pinch saffron strands

salt

pepper

• finely chop the onion and garlic
• clean the rest of the vegetables and cut into strips
• cut the chicken into chunks and dice the pork
• heat up 1/3 oil in a large frying pan
• lightly fry the beans, peppers and artichokes
• in another pan heat half of the remaining oil and brown the pork and chicken
• season with salt and pepper and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes
• heat the remaining oil in the first pan with the vegetables
• cook the onion and garlic until soft
• add the browned chicken and pork into the vegetable pan
• mix in the rice
• when the rice goes transparent, add the squid and tomatoes
• season and simmer for 10 minutes
• add the hot fish stock
• add the saffron and stir
• cook on a low heat for 10 minutes
• place the langoustines on top of the paella and simmer for a further 10 minutes
• serve garnished with lemon wedges

• sausage, salami, bacon, lamb, beef
• clams, mussles, prawns, shrimp, any fish
• aubergine (eggplant), courgette (zucchini), peas, any vegetable could be included

You really can make good paella from virtually any ingredients you already have at home. Paella is a great credit crunch meal!