Recipe: Paella from Constance Halaveli Resort

If you’re looking for a tasty dish to refresh your tastebuds after the festive season, try this delicious paella from the kitchens of our Constance Halaveli Resort.

Jahaz restaurant

Jahaz restaurant

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • ½ litre fish stock
  • ½ litre chicken stock
  • 100ml olive oil
  • 1 white onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 cups short grain rice
  • 3 bay leaves
  • Pinch saffron
  • 2 cups dry white wine
  • 12 fresh mussels in shell, cleaned
  • 12 fresh clams in the  shell, cleaned
  • 3 fresh calamari tubes, cut into rings
  • 12 large prawns, shelled and deveined
  • 2 chicken breasts, diced
  • 4 tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup black olives, stones removed
  • 1 cup flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 hard boiled eggs
  • 6 lemons

1. Heat the 2 stocks together and keep warm
2. Heat the olive oil in a paella pan (or large non-stick saucepan) on low heat. Sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes until soft.
3. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes until opaque. Add the bay leaves, saffron and wine. Continue to stir until the wine is reduced by half. Add the hot stock one ladle at a time, stirring occasionally. Allow the stock to reduce before adding more.
4. When the rice is ¾ cooked (about 8–10 minutes) add the mussels and clams. After 2 minutes add the other seafood and the chicken, and cook until the chicken and fish are cooked and tender.
5. Remove the heat and bay leaves. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Fold in the butter and olives.
6. To serve: sprinkle with the parsley and hard-boiled eggs cut into wedges. Squeeze a couple of lemons over the top and garnish with the remaining lemons cut in quarters.

Do you have a favourite dish from your Constance holiday?

Every Friday we publish one of our delicious recipes from the Constance kitchens. If you’ve got a favourite dish from your holiday with Constance, let us know and we’ll publish the recipe here. You can comment on the blog below or post a message on our Constance Facebook page.

Top 9 food trends for 2012

In the first of our Trends 2012 articles, our corporate chef Bruno Le Gac gives us an insight into what he believes will be the biggest food trends this year.

Bruno Le Gac

Bruno Le Gac

My big 3 predictions   

1. ‘New’ Chinese and Indian cuisine

Many young Chinese and Indian chefs will appear and experiment with the traditional ways of cooking and presenting their dishes.

New great chefs from Asia will start exporting their talents abroad and open restaurants across the globe under their name.

2. Tea food

 

Food associated with tea, food and tea pairing dinners should become more fashionable.

Guests are getting savvier about tea, and quality products and ranges have become more readily available. Tea sommeliers will become a reality very soon.

3. The Maitre D’

The concept of the Maitre D’ will come back, but with new codes and a modern approach. Service jobs will come back into the spotlight, and we’ll see new ways of doing things, more service competitions and even TV shows on service.

Celebrity Maitre D’s will become more famous, and will lead the way to attract younger people to learn. In other words what’s happened in the kitchen will now begin to happen in the dining room.

What the industry predicts will be big news in 2012

4. Homemade pasta and noodles

Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai…. 2012 will be the ‘year of noodles’

5. Insects

Insects are a great source of protein. They form part of the culinary tradition of many countries (Thailand, China, Mexico…). They could be a good alternative to meat and some say it would help release the pressure on our planet.

Some famous chefs such as celebrity Milan chef Carlo Cracco have already explored using insects on their menus.

Watch this space – for my part, I don’t think we’re quite ready for this yet.

6. Pure food

Food as natural as possible, with no artificial ingredients. We’ll see more ‘back to roots’ options prepared with very good quality products.

And general consumer trends, that continue to grow

Fresh produce

Fresh produce

7. Green, local and organic food

It’s been big for several years and I suspect the trend will continue to grow. Consumers are fed up with bad quality products and want to come back to the real thing. Home grown vegetable gardens will become even bigger, especially in cities.

8. Quality snacks, take away food, light bites

People have less time to eat, and want to enjoy easy food for lunch. Easy but still good and healthy. This is also true in hotels and resorts and I think we’ll see more and more casual outlets in hotels selling quality, light and tasty snacks.

9. Conviviality and human contact

Tired of watching bad news on TV? Family style dishes, portions to share, long tables and casual barbecues will become more popular.

People want contact and authenticity. Culinary classes, ‘do-it yourself’ sessions and more interaction on hotel buffets.

And now over to you…

Do you think insects will be gracing our plates in 2012?

Has organic food had its day?

We want to know what you think. You can post your comments on the blog below, to our Constance Facebook page or tweet @constancehotels.com

The fisherman's table at Constance Moofushi, Maldives

Bruno Le Gac, our Corporate Executive Chef, reveals the first ever ‘fisherman’s table’ at Constance Moofushi Resort.

Totem Bar at night

Totem Bar

What started as an idea on a fishing boat has become reality, and will soon become a tradition.

The resort’s manager, Mr Sona, famous for his incomparable sense of welcoming, is also a passionate fisherman.

He sometimes escapes for an hour from his busy schedule to jump on a dhoni (traditional Maldivian boat) and drop a fishing line in the crystal clear surrounding waters.

Sometimes fishing is somehow ‘miraculous’ and after one of these lucky days, wevdecided to organise a special dinner for guests and enjoy a simple yet super fresh fish fair on the beach.

On the menu:

***

  • Grilled grey emperor with olive oil and fresh herbs
  • Chinese style steamed grouper with light soy sauce
  • Baked jobfish in light Indian rub

The fish is served whole and carved at the table, accompanied with virgin sauce, lemon and crushed chilli, and rice and grilled vegetable skewers.

***

  • Chef Murulie’s signature coconut ice cream.

That’s it! Simplicity and freshness, barefoot under the stars. Paradise…

The fisherman’s table at Constance Moofushi, Maldives

Bruno Le Gac, our Corporate Executive Chef, reveals the first ever ‘fisherman’s table’ at Constance Moofushi Resort.

Totem Bar at night

Totem Bar

What started as an idea on a fishing boat has become reality, and will soon become a tradition.

The resort’s manager, Mr Sona, famous for his incomparable sense of welcoming, is also a passionate fisherman.

He sometimes escapes for an hour from his busy schedule to jump on a dhoni (traditional Maldivian boat) and drop a fishing line in the crystal clear surrounding waters.

Sometimes fishing is somehow ‘miraculous’ and after one of these lucky days, wevdecided to organise a special dinner for guests and enjoy a simple yet super fresh fish fair on the beach.

On the menu:

***

  • Grilled grey emperor with olive oil and fresh herbs
  • Chinese style steamed grouper with light soy sauce
  • Baked jobfish in light Indian rub

The fish is served whole and carved at the table, accompanied with virgin sauce, lemon and crushed chilli, and rice and grilled vegetable skewers.

***

  • Chef Murulie’s signature coconut ice cream.

That’s it! Simplicity and freshness, barefoot under the stars. Paradise…