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How
to make Paella
Paella
is a one of the world's most famous rice dishes, and this
version is a seafood extravaganza. Traditionally, paella is
prepared in a paellera (a wide, shallow pan with looped
handles) and cooked over an outdoor fire. However, it's easy
to cook paella to authentic perfection in your own kitchen
over the stovetop. The following paella recipe serves 4, and
for best results cook in a 14 or 15-inch paellera. A large
shallow frying pan makes an acceptable substitute.
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Finely
chop 1 red onion, dice 1 red and 1 green pepper (capsicum),
finely chop 4 cloves of garlic, and finely chop 2 tablespoons
of fresh flat-leaf parsley. |
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Using
a box grater, puree 2 ripe tomatoes (vine-ripened are
best), discarding the skin. Alternatively you can use
a cup of canned peeled tomatoes mashed with a fork.
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Peel
and devein 16 large raw shrimp (prawns), cut 2 squid
tubes into rings, and scrub and debeard 12 fresh mussels.
Cover and refrigerate.
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Sofrito
is a Spanish tomato and onion sauce which is used as
a flavor base for a variety of dishes, including paella.
To make the sofrito, heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin
olive oil in the paella pan over a medium heat and cook
the chopped red onion, 2 tablespoons of parsley and
3 of the chopped garlic cloves for 8 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Add the pureed tomatoes and 2 teaspoons
of paprika (preferably Spanish smoked paprika) and cook
until all the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated
and the sofrito has the consistency of jam. Transfer
the sofrito to a small bowl and wipe clean the paella
pan.
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While
the sofrito is cooking, place the mussels in a saucepan
with half a cup of simmering water. Cover and steam
on a low heat for 5 minutes. Remove mussels and set
aside, discarding any that haven't opened.
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Cook
the shrimp and squid
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Heat
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in the paella
pan over a medium-high heat. Add the remaining clove
of chopped garlic and the shrimp and cook for 1½
minutes, tossing continuously. Add the squid rings and
cook for a further 1½ minutes. Remove the shrimp
and squid from the paella pan and lightly season with
salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and set
aside.
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Cook
the diced red and green peppers
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Heat
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the paella
pan over a medium heat and cook the diced red and green
peppers for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. |
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Add
the sofrito back to the pan along with 1½ cups
of Spanish Calasparra or Bomba rice (regular medium-grain
rice makes a good substitute) and cook for a minute,
stirring to coat the grains.
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Add
hot stock, saffron, salt and pepper and cook without
stirring
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Add
3 cups of heated fish or chicken stock, a pinch of saffron
threads, 1½ teaspoons sea salt and ½ teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine, and bring
to a rolling simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, uncovered
without stirring. (To make sure the rice cooks evenly
you will need to regularly move the paella pan around
the heat source, or you can stradle the paella pan over
two burners.)
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Lower
the heat and continue cooking
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Lower
the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for a further 15
minutes without stirring. After 15 minutes, turn the
heat up to medium-high for a minute or so until you
can smell the rice toasting at the bottom, then remove
the paella pan from the heat. (The toasted rice bottom
of a paella is called socorrat and is highly
prized.)
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Add
seafood and peas and cover
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Push
the reserved shrimp, mussels and squid into the cooked
rice, and scatter with half a cup of defrosted green
peas. Cover the pan with foil or a clean cloth, and
let the paella rest for 5 minutes.
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Present
the paella in the pan at the table with lemon wedges
on the side for drizzling.
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