My favourite market in Cape Town at the moment is The Market at the Palms in Woodstock. I love the fact that it is small and not overcrowded, and the produce is really outstanding and affordable. The lady in charge of the market is Isabella Niehaus and she has hand-picked each stallholder to ensure an outstanding market experience.
The Palms Market has just celebrated its second birthday - and what a feast it was. The main attraction was a cook-off between six celebrity cooks and the topic was Reis met Rys. Each cook/chef had to cook with one pack of Spekko rice and R75-worth of ingredients. My West Coast Paella turned out to be the judges' favourite and I would love to know if you like it too!
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Spicy Paella with Mussels and Angelfish (serves 8 to 10)
Ingredients:
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 30ml olive oil
• 2 onions - finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• 500 ml Spekko parboiled rice
• 5ml turmeric
• 10ml smoked paprika
• 1x 410g tin chopped peeled tomatoes;
• 80g tomato paste
• 750ml chicken or fish stock
• Salt and pepper
• 1 lemon
• 4 bay leaves - fresh if you can find
• Salt parsley, finely chopped
• 1kg Wet Coast Mussels - in the shell
• 300g smoked angelfish - bones removed and cut into smaller pieces
Heat olive oil in a big pan and saute the onion, red pepper and garlic until they start to caramelise. Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Now add the rice and some of the stock, always adding stock from the outside circle of the pan towards the centre. Watch the heat and fill up with more stock if needed. When the rice is almost cooked, add the mussels and angelfish and cover the pan with foil or a big enough lid. Leave covered for about 8 to 10 minutes, enough time for the mussels to open and the fish to warm through. The rice must be al dente and the paella must not become mushy. It is perfect paella if it forms a crust at the bottom of the pan. It is the so-called "socarrat" and highly sought after when making proper paella! Taste and add salt if needed. Serve with a slice of lemon.
