Introduction:

Paella is one of the most famous Spanish dishes. If you ever find yourself in a Spanish restaurant that serves paella give it a try. You'll love it. The picture above shows the Paella in its cooking dish.

In researching paella recipes I found that there was no one-way of making paella. Every chef has his own way of making it and the list of ingredients is different as well. The recipe here is inspired by the others I read and customized for simplicity. Feel free to experiment with the ingredients by adding your own favorites.

Paella is cooked in a wide and short pan where the sides go up 4 to 5 inches, the more surface the better. Many of the toppings are added as a last step at the top of the paella.

This recipe serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Dry white wine
• 1 ts saffron (azafrán)
• Olive oil or Spam
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup long grain rice or yellow rice with zaffron (Mahatma is one brand)
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 6 oz breast of chicken, skinless
• 1/2 lb fresh shrimp
• 1 lb mussels
• 2 lb clams
• 2, 3 oz lobster tails
• 1/2 cup artichoke hearts
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup chopped tomato

Pre-cooking:

• Preheat oven at 350*
• Let peas defrost
• Chop the onion, tomato and bell peppers
• Peel the shrimp (this is a science of which we can talk some other time)
• Cut the chicken in small cubes
• Scrub the clams and mussels, discarding any that are open (dead)

Cooking:

• Spray the frying pan with PAM or olive oil
• Preheat the frying pan for one minute at med-high heat
• Sauté the onion 2-3 mins until limp and brown
• Add the rice, sauté until golden stirring so it won't burn
• Add the wine and saffron (if not already in the rice) and stir until all the wine is absorbed
• Stir in the peppers
• Add 2 cups of chicken stock, 1/4 cup at a time stirring until the rice absorbs the stock (this is going to take a while)
• Add the last cup of chicken stock
• Add the cubed chicken
• Add the shrimp, clams, lobster and mussels, tucking them in the rice
• Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until mussels open
• Add the peas, tomato and artichokes and bake for 2 more minutes

Tips:

Saffron (azafrán) is really hard to find, and expensive, but is worth getting if you plan to make this dish since it gives the rice a yellow coloring and adds the essence of the paella flavor. Sometimes you can find rice with the saffron already in it, which is much cheaper than buying the saffron by itself.

The smaller the clams are, the better, since they cook faster and are easier to eat.

To peal shrimp easily:

• Hold the shrimp so that you can grab it from the back and peel off the legs of the shrimp
• Peel off a piece of the shell around the head area
• Hold on to the head area of the shrimp and pull the tail, when done correctly the whole shell while come out.

You can order Saffron, and paella cooking dishes from:

La Española Meats, Inc.
25020 Doble Ave.
Harbor City, CA 90710
Phone: (310) 539-5989
Fax (310) 539-0455

Thanks to Ricardo Batista for the recipe and photo above.

Ingredients (6 persons)

• 1/2 rabbit
• 1/2 chicken
• 2 pounds of vegetables (french beans, fresh pepper...)
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 tea cup of rice per person
• Olive Oil, salt, saffron, water

Preparation

Using a wide pan on high heat, pour in a little of the olive oil. Wait until the oil is hot, then, after cutting the meat in small pieces, place the meat in the pan. Lightly fry the meat until it takes on a golden color. In the same oil add the tomatoes and wait until they are fried before adding the rest of vegetables.

Cook the rice for about half an hour using the highest temperature. When water is gone check the upper surface of the pan. If the rice is still hard, turn off the heat and wait a few minutes before serving.

Advice

• A good wine is always a nice mate for meals. Use red wine at room temperature or a rosé in summer time.
• Having guests over for dinner is the best spice for meals. Don´t eat alone, never eat fast. Talk to your relatives and friends, drink, have fun, and enjoy life.
• Using these directions maybe you will not live more, but better.

Ingredients (6 persons)

• 4 median pcs. of fresh pepper
• 2 egg-plants
• 2 pounds of french beans
• 2 pounds of spinach
• 2 pounds of canned artichokes
• 2 leeks
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 tea cup of rice per person
• Olive Oil, salt, saffron, sweet paprika, garlic, water

Preparation

Again, pour a little olive oil into a wide pan on high heat. Chop the garlic into small pieces. While the garlic is browning, chop the rest of vegetables and add them to the pan. Let them fry for a while and add the water, usually two and a half cups of water for every cup of the previewed rice. Boil until the rice and vegetables are nearly done.

Then, take the rice and pour it into the pan, while adding salt, sweet paprika and saffron. Cook for about half an hour using the highest temperature, but do not remove. When the water is gone check the upper surface of the pan. If the rice is still hard, cut the heat off and wait a few minutes before serving.

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