Paella – One Pan Wonder
The bulb went off when I discovered that there were some prawns in the fridge that needed to be eaten. Some damn good Mexican gulf prawns; sweet and meaty without that gnarly iodine chlorine flavor that you get in a lot of the farmed swimmers. Of course the dish, the stage, that needed to be built was Paella!
I adore Paella, it’s the absolute perfect storm of food. Rice, acid, herbs, peas or artichokes and smoky notes with your choice of meat and seafood OR none at all; all together in one happy pan. Kind of like risotto but without all that dairy fat; much better suited for summer! It’s also a spectacular dish for a dinner party. Make a nice crisp salad and grill some bread to accompany the rice and voila you’re a star. If you don’t have a store that sells Paella pans or the rice in your area you can go here to buy on-line.
On a final note, one thing that I’ve discovered with paella is that you need to be patient with the rice. Let it absorb liquid slowly and DON’T mash the rice by stirring it too much. If you’re worried about uneven cooking of the rice then cover pan with a lid or foil and let steam. You can also finish off in an oven set at 350 degress. You want cooked, fluffy, slightly wet, whole grain rice.
Happy eats!
Chef Stephen from HOG
Paella-Spanish Rice with Shrimp, Squid and Chicken
Serves 4-6 people
Ingredients
½ cup white wine
3 threads of saffron
3 chicken thighs, chopped up
½ pound Spanish chorizo (*or bacon), sliced
1 pound 31-40 (per pound) shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail off
1 pound squid tubes, cleaned, rinsed and cut into half circles
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeds and white part removed, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon pimenton (smoked paprika)
½ cup parsley, chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups bomba or calasparra rice
juice of one lemon
Instructions
Heat up wine in a pot and add saffron. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
Heat ¼ cup of olive oil in a 10 inch paella pan (a similar size skillet will work as well). Cook the chorizo and chicken thighs together until nicely browned. Remove chicken and chorizo with a slotted spoon and set aside.
In the same pan, sauté the onion and garlic for 5 minutes or until they become soft; add the tomato and red pepper. Season with salt, pepper and pimenton; add the bay leaf. Stir ingredients together. Add the rice to the mixture and “toast” in the pan for about two minutes. Stir in the wine saffron mixture and let it absorb into rice. Add the stock and half of the parsley to the rice; stir. Let simmer for about 10 minutes then add the chicken and chorizo. After 20 minutes add the shrimp, squid and lemon juice. When rice is cooked, add the rest of the parsley and peas. Fluff rice with a fork.
**if the rice is not cooked all the way cover pan with lid or foil and let steam. You can also put the pan in a 350 degree oven and cook like a pilaf until finished.
That looks a tasty good dinner! I’d finish the meal with some manchego and figs.
Comment by Lucy — July 23, 2009 @ 4:08 pm
My oh my, this paella looks scrumptious and perfectly homey for the rainy summer we’re having here in the Boston area.
Comment by Jennifer — July 24, 2009 @ 9:43 am
The BEST part is the rice that’s been left alone to get all crispy on the bottom…. mmmmm
Comment by EB — July 27, 2009 @ 7:11 pm
oooo and look at that crunchy bread in back. I see myself in a backyard with a long picnic table, lanterns. I lay this massive dish down in the center as the guests eyes widen with delight.
Comment by Caroline — July 31, 2009 @ 8:08 pm