Paella: Humble Origins, Elevated Genius

If you cooked this on a first date.......

Farmer's Market has the best veggies

Try to find the oversized skillet

A:B doing his thing

Paella is widely considered Spain’s national dish. It is the perfect example of how most of the world’s greatest food was born out of necessity. Paella was originally created as a peasant dish that combined dried fish with rice, vegetables and potent mixture of spices. The combination of proteins and vegetables greatly differ by region. Paellas are comprised entirely of meat and some seafood, it is not uncommon to see a mixture of seafood and various meats. The name Paella actually refers to the wide shallow dish used during the cooking process. In order to cook authentic Paella two ingredients are absolutely necessary, paella style rice such as Bomba or Calasparra and Saffron. Don’t let the price of Saffron discourage you, a little bit goes a long way. If you are having trouble finding the right type of rice try a specialty store, Arborio rice could also be used as a substitute. This recipe basically features every single type of meat and seafood I could find at the store. Feel free to omit any ingredients that don’t agree with your pallet, or by all means grow a pair and step out of your comfort zone.

Summer Paella

This recipe is designed for a traditional Paella pan. If you can not find one use your largest skillet and reduce the recipe amounts by about ½.

Protein

-½ lb Shrimp (Shell On-they taste so much better this way)

-½ lb Calamari (Whatever is available; rings, tentacles or steak)

-½ lb Halibut (any firm white fish will work for this)

-1 lb Clams and/or Muscles

-1 lb Chicken Drumettes (the little mini legs work great for this one)

-1 lb Pork Spare Ribs (Bone In)

-¼ lb Chorizo

Veg

- 1 Onion (chopped)

- 4 cloves Garlic (minced)

- 1Shallot (minced)

- 2 Serrano Peppers (minced)

- 2 cups Green Peas (de-shelled)

- 1 cup Roasted Red Pepper Strips (chopped) * Save a few strips un-cut for a garnish

- ¼ cup Flat Leaf Parsley (chopped) * Reserve some of the parsley for a garnish

- 1 Lemon (cut into wedges) *Save for a garnish

Spice

- Salt & Pepper to taste

- 2 pinches Saffron

- ½ Teaspoon Smoked Paprika

- ½ Teaspoon Ancho Chile Powder

- ½ cup Dry White Wine

- Olive Oil (I wouldn’t use extra virgin for this because it will burn)

Rice

- 4 cups Paella Rice (Bomba preferably)

- 6 ½ cups Stock (Chicken or Seafood)

Paella is a step by step process, if you stray from the plan there’s a good chance you’ll end up with something that looks neat but doesn’t deliver. The recipe calls for each item to cook separately, the cooking times are not meant to cook each item completely because all the ingredients will cook through during the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Cooking Instructions:

- Heat the pan on medium high add 1 tablespoon of olive oil & add the chorizo, let the chorizo brown to render some of the fat, Once cooked remove the chorizo

- Add the chicken & pork to the pan, cook for about 12 minutes occasionally turning each piece to ensure even cooking, remove from the pan after browned.

- Add shrimp, calamari & halibut & sauté, occasionally turning each piece to ensure even cooking. Remove ingredients after about 5 minutes.

- In a small sauce pot bring stock to a boil and turn off heat. Add saffron to the liquid and let steep.

- Heat a medium sized sauce pot on medium heat, add clams/mussels and white wine and cover. Let steam for about 4-5 minutes. Remove the clams/muscles and combine remaining liquid with stock.

- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the paella pan, add onions and garlic sauté until translucent about 6-7 minutes (adding a pinch of salt can speed this up). Add the remaining vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes.

- Add the partially cooked chicken/pork to the same pan and cook for 8-10 minutes (stir occasionally)

- Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat the rice. Then add the stock mixture Let cook for 10 minutes. (Do not stir the paella once you add the stock because it won’t produce a good crust)

- After 10 minutes of cooking add the shrimp/squid/fish to the rice mixture cook for 10 more minutes.

- Finally add the mussels/clams to the nearly cooked rice.

- Turn off the heat and cover with tinfoil, let steam for about 5-10 minutes. (Don’t worry there is still some liquid, the rice will soak it up)

- Gently fold all the ingredients together and garnish with roast red pepper, parsley and lemon wedges.

Don’t worry if the bottom layer of rice burns a little bit, this is actually the best part. Like all recipes, times are not exact, so pay attention and you shouldn’t have any problems. Invite a group of your friends and show them you can cook more then a just a burger.

Shout out to Carlos Mason for the legendary photog.

Step your blogs up gents.

Chef A:B