Moroccan Spiced Red Claw Paella

Aaron Bell, chef at Pumpkins Cafe, Kingaroy Shoppingworld, prepared this Moroccan spiced red claw paella (with peanut crumbing) for the 2003 PCA South Burnett Regional Culinary Competition. Aaron won the award for Most Creative Use of Regional Produce for this dish.

Wine Accompaniment:
Stuart Range 2001 Semillon

Ingredients
30ml peanut oil
100g feta cheese
100g pumpkin (butternut)
30g green olives
75g chickpeas
30g diced tomatoes
1kg red claw
400ml chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
11/2 cups long grain rice
30g peanuts

Marinade
2 red chillies
1/2 bunch coriander
2 tsp cumin
1 tblsp paprika
1 clove garlic
100ml peanut oil
1 lemon

Crumbing Mixture
Granulated peanuts
Paprika
Cummin
Breadcrumbs

Mint Creme Fraiche
Creme fraiche
Mint
Sugar

Method
Cook chickpeas for an hour, drain and rub skin off under cold water. Place boiling water over rice and cover, let stand for 10 minutes. Heat oil in pan, add pumpkin and saut� for a few minutes.

Make marinade: Place all ingredients in blender and process to a paste. Cut red claw while still green and marinate reserve (cook shell) for presentation.

Add rice to pan with red claw for two minutes and saut�, then add chicken stock or vegetable stock. Let simmer.

Reserve eight half tails of red claw and place remaining ingredients to pan and mix thoroughly.

Make crumbing mixture and crumb reserved red claw.

Heat pan with oil and shallow fry red claw that has been crumbed.

Make Mint Creme Fraiche. Chop mint, add to Creme Fraiche.

Arrange ingredients on plate accordingly and garnish.

Serves 2

Local Produce:
Red claw - Kilkivan Fisheries
Feta, creme fraiche - Kingaroy Cheese
Olives - Proteco, Kingaroy
Chickpeas - Bean Growers Australia, Kingaroy
Pumpkin, chillies, tomatoes, garlic - Ollie Otto, Yarraman
Peanuts, peanut oil - PCA, Kingaroy