What a Pretty pan of paella

Nothing evokes the romantic side of Spain like paella. And, today is Spanish paella Day. There are Portuguese and other versions of paella as well. But, the dish hails from Spain, and deserves this recognition. How many times have you heard: “What a Pretty pan of paella?” But, there is more than one type of paella in Spain. In fact, there are 3 main types of paella:

1. valencia: which is all meat and no seafood. Traditionally, it uses chicken, pork, and rabbit. Although, rabbit is usually left out because, well, it’s f’ing rabbit. They also use beans and other vegetables.
2. Marisco: This is the coastal version made entirely of seafood. technically, it has 5 types: shrimp, mussel, clams, squid, and one other fish du jour.
3. Mixto: As the name would imply, it comprises both meat and fish. This is the version most of us think of when considering paella.

Of course, you can also do a vegetarian or vegan version. The important thing is the rice and saffron. Around the 10th century AD, Muslims invaded Spain. While there were definite downsides to this, they did bring rice as a staple crop. By the time Christians regained control of the country in the 15th century, rice was as Spanish as the Flamenco and tight matador outfits.

¿Cuántas veces has escuchado: “Qué bonita paella?” (Sounds a little better than “What a Pretty pan of paella”)

Everything sounds more exotic and fun when you say it in a foreign language. And, that definitely holds true to Paella. The way the word rolls off the tongue is, at once, soothing, romantic, and exhilarating. But, guess what. The literal translation is “frying pan”. Which sounds better: “Yo, let’s eat frying pan”, or “Darling, let us indulge in paella”? And, make sure you get the pronunciation right. It’s pie-ay-uh, not pay-ell-uh. The word is as musical as the dish. And, even though it means frying pan, there are actual pans made just for paella. You have probably seen them, and didn’t know what they were. A traditional paella pan is relatively flat with slightly sloped edges and handles on each side. It looks like a drink serving tray.

They come in a variety of sizes. There are individual serving pans, couples sizes, family size. and, even 6 foot pans for serving large groups of people.

But, don’t worry. You don’t have to run out and buy a paella pan if you don’t have one. Any pan will do. For the best results, Try using a wider pan though. The trick is to be able to spread out the ingredients while you stir. We recommend a “rondeau”, which is a wide high sided pan, sort of a low sided pot.

Los Ingredientes

In case you can’t translate, this means: the ingredients. Americans seem to have trouble with adapting foreign concepts, like soccer or Jerry Lewis as an idol. But, we can all get behind paella.

This is a delicate, elegant take on comfort food. It seems simple enough. But, don’t fool yourself. There is a delicate balance between perfectly cooked and crap. True aficionados of paella will say it has to be perfectly dried to pass their test. However, Marisco versions are actually more stew like. They want a broth. And, if yours isn’t bone dry or a perfect broth, don’t worry. As long as you have the right ingredients, your lover, family, or guests will love it.

Saffron

So, what is in paella? The golden hue is the most important part. We get this with saffron. I’ve seen people substitute achiote seasonings and turmeric to get the color. But, saffron creates a color that can’t be matched. And, the aroma and flavor are unparalleled. It’s a very expensive product. But, for good reason. Saffron is the stigma and styles of the Autumn crocus. So, you have to wait until the fall to pluck the three threads from each flower.there are about 13,000 threads per ounce. And, they are plucked by hand. So, you can spend well over $100 per ounce. Luckily, it doesn’t take much to cook with. A pinch of saffron will flavor a meal for 4 to 6 people.

Rice

You’re not going to make paella with Uncle Bens. Paella is sort of like a risotto. It starts with short grained rice. there are valencia rices available. The best types of rice to use are: senia, bomba, bahfa, and thaibonnet. Bomba is best because it absorbs the liquid better, while retaining it’s shape. But, it is expensive. You can use a risotto rice like arborio or carnaroli. These will do fine. However, you should rinse them first, to remove some of the starch. They tend to be sticky. And, the art of paella is individual grains.

Proteins

As mentioned above, the mixto style is most popular. If you want to go with straight seafood or make a vegetarian version, have at it. For a visually stunning, and varied dish, though, mixing proteins makes sense. To get a full explosion of flavors, I usually start with chourico and chicken. Then add in seafood. Mussels are my favorite. You can addclams. Being in New England, I like adding scallops as well as shrimp. You can play around with different proteins: swordfish, tuna, monkfish, halibut, grouper, and even oysters will all work. For land animals, I would stick to lighter proteins. A beef or venison would discolor and change the nature of the dish.

As for squid., a few rings are nice. But, if overcooked, they become rubbery. There are black paellas that use squid ink, and are literally black. If you are adventurous, give it a try. For, most of us, though, the fragrance and flavor of saffron is too intoxicating to cover up with squid ink.

And, that brings us to the stock. Since saffron is the highlight of the dish, you don’t want an overly flavorful stock. You want flavor, but it needs to carry the saffron, not compete with it. A simple chicken, vegetable, or seafood stock is best.

What a Pretty pan of paella Starts with the method

paella is similar to risotto in many ways. Unlike much rice cookery, where you boil the rice in a predetermined amount of liquid, paella and risotto are built during the cooking process. You heat the stock in a separate pan; and, add it in while stirring the rice. paella is one of those dishes best served straight out of the pot. Not, that you can’t reheat it. But, when it is freshly made, it is an experience, more than just a meal. Some restaurants even have someone make it either tableside or at a paella station, where you get to watch the chef at work. And, if the weather is nice, there are paella burners: propane or wood fired paella pans (kind of like turkey burners for doing fried turkey).

Whether you are doing paella as performance art or just making it in your kitchen, start with a good pan that will disperse heat evenly. Heat olive oil, add in your onion and saffron. The concept is to bloom the saffron to release the flavor and fragrance. Then, build the rice. You can add in the proteins at the beginning if they are hearty enough or cook separately and fold in. Shellfish should be added later in the process since it can overcook easily. You want everything to be tender and flavorful. And, the final product should not be soupy. Paella is its own art form. Otherwise you have arroz con pollo or maiscos.

And, if you want to do a vegetarian or vegan Paella, you definitely want to add the vegetables late in the process. Remember, rice takes 15 to 25 minutes to cook on average. Most vegetables are done in less than a minute. So, if you don’t want mush, make the rice first.

La Recita:

There are as many variations on paella as there are chefs making it. Everyone will tell you that theirs is the best or most authentic. The truth is, the best paella is the one that tickles your tastebuds. If you love seafood, use a nice seafood stock. Chicken may be your thing: go heavy on the chicken broth. If you are vegan, make a flavorful vegetable broth and go heavy on the saffron to boost flavor. We could talk about tradition and authentic ingredients. But, the hallmark of paella is saffron and rice. Everything else is interchangeable. So, unless you want bugs bunny in your pot, don’t worry about “authentic.” You do what’s enticing to you.

Of course we need a starting point. This recipe will get you where you are going, and then some. Follow it verbatim or switch out some ingredients. Paella is a great excuse to ignore your mother’s warning, and, play with your food. Paella is a built to order grand looking meal. It is a veritable playground of colors, textures, and aromas. This is one pot cooking. But, it’s not something you put in a crockpot in the morning and eat when you get home. You will need about an hour to prep and cook everything. But, once it’s done, your guests or loved ones will be enthralled. And, it may even spark some Spanish Passions.

Paella Mixto

cheffd

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Spanish

Servings 4 People

Ingredients

  

• 1 Cup Diced Sweet Onion
• 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh garlic
• 1/2 tsp Saffron Threads
• 2 Cup valencia (aka bomba) rice or a suitable substitute
• 2 Cup Diced Fresh Tomato
• 1 Cup Dry White wine (Chardonnay or Sauvignon blanc preferably)
• 3 Cups Chicken Stock
• 1/2 Cup Cubed Bell Peppers (Preferably not green)
• 1/2 Lb Boneless, skinless chicken
• 1/2 Lb Chourico Sausage
• 8 to 12 large Shrimp (16/20 or larger)
• 8 to 12 large Sea scallops (Size 20/30 or larger)
• 1 Lb Mussels in the shell
• 2 Cups green beans, cut smaller if large (haricots vert are more uniform, but not necessary)
• 1 Cup Chopped Fresh Scallions
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• olive oil for cooking
• Juice and zest of one medium lemon

Instructions

 

• Prep your meats, seafood, and vegetables: Dice onion and tomato. Chop the garlic and herbs. Cut down the beans if they are too long. You want fork friendly pieces. Peel and de-vein shrimp if necessary. Remove mussel from scallops if they have them. Clean and de-beard mussels. Cut the chicken and chourico into 1 inch cubes. If you are using arborio or risotto rice, rinse it and drain well.
• Bring stock to a simmer in a pot on a side or back burner.
• Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a paella pan or "rondeau". Add in onion and garlic. Cook until translucent, stirring frequently. Add the saffron, and stir. Let it "bloom". You will smell the aroma and see the color spread. Add the Chicken and chourico. Heat at least a minute on one side to get a crust. Stir, and continue cooking. Add the rice and stir to coat the kernels evenly. Add in a little salt and pepper at this time. You can add more later. Add the wine. Stir, and bring the rice to a simmer. Then, add in 1/2 of the tomato. And, begin adding stock, 1 ladle at a time. Stir to keep from sticking.
• In a separate saute pan, heat a little olive oil over high heat. Sear the shrimp and scallops about a minute per side. They will be mostly cooked. But still raw in the middle. Transfer them to the paella. Add in the mussels and remaining tomatoes, and continue adding the stock. Stir the rice with a wooden spoon to keep it cooking evenly and prevent sticking.
• Once the mussels open, they are done. They liquid should be evaporated and rice cooked at this point. Check a couple kernels to confirm. It should take all the liquid. Add more if necessary. Adjust your seasoning. And, fold in the beans and herbs. The heat from the pan should cook them, while maintaining the green color. If you want them cooked more, add them in with the mussels. Serve straight from the pan.

Notes

As mentioned in the post, the type of rice is important. You want a short grain rice that can absorb a good amount of liquid while maintaining its integrity. If you use a risotto rice, it is best to rinse before using to remove the extra starch. The starch will make it sticky. Paella is supposed to be clearly separate grains. When you rinse, be sure to drain thoroughly. I like to dry it further in an oven as well. This will give it a slightly nutty flavor and maintain the integrity of the rice better.

You want the stock to be hot when you add it. If it is cold or room temp, it will retard the cooking process as you add it in. Once you start cooking the rice, you want to maintain an even temperature. Otherwise it’s like cooling it down every time you add the stock. This can result in uneven cooking, so some rice may still be raw and others overcooked.

We did the shrimp and scallops separately because we like a bit of a crust on them. You could also par cook them in the pan with the chicken, remove them, and add back in later. Or you could just add in during the stock adding stages with the mussels. They don’t take long to cook. And, if overcooked, they become rubbery.

Chourico is a spicy sausage. There are Portuguese, Spanish, and South American versions. It is also called Chorizo. If you don’t want the spice, you could use a milder sausage like linguica.

Keyword chicken, Chorizo, Chourice, Chourico, Meat, Mixto, Mussels, Paella, Saffron, Seafood, Spain, Spanish, Valencia