Paella is a Valencian rice dish that originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century near lake Albufera, a lagoon in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain. Many non-Spaniards view paella as Spain’s national dish, but most Spaniards consider it to be a regional Valencian dish. Valencians, in turn, regard paella as one of their identifying symbols.
There are three widely known types of paella: Valencian paella (Spanish: paella valenciana), seafood paella (Spanish: paella de marisco) and mixed paella (Spanish: paella mixta), but there are many others as well. Valencian paella consists of white rice, green vegetables, meat (rabbit, chicken, duck, land snails), beans and seasoning. Seafood paella replaces land animals with seafood and omits beans and green vegetables. Mixed paella is a free-style combination of land animals, seafood, vegetables, and sometimes beans. Most paella chefs use calasparra or bomba rices for this dish. Other key ingredients include saffron and olive oil.
I made this Paella from foodnetwork.com following the recipe below, we really is very good, we ate such a tasty paella .. The only thing I would add is: Put the saffron with 1/2 cup water and let stand at least 1 hour, this intensifies the color and most importantly it gives much more flavor. The saffron is essential in any paella, is the heart of it. Also chicken broth instead of water. If you’re more daring, mix the chicken broth with beer. The original recipe says makes 4 to 6 people, I think that may yield 8 to 10 …
I also attached the video
If you prepare this for a special occasion paella, or impress your friends, I recommend buying a paella pan. They are not very expensive, Amazon will find very good prices.
The presentation in the paella pan with seafood, aroma and color, will impress any audience. Enjoy!
The Ultimate Mixed Paella
From : foodnetwork.com
Prep Time: 30 min
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hr 0 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min
Level: Intermediate
Serves:
4 to 6 servings ( very hungry )
Ingredients
- Spice Mix for chicken, recipe follows
- 1 (3-pound) frying chicken, cut into 10 pieces
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Spanish chorizo sausages, thickly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 Spanish onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- Bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, reserve some for garnish
- 1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
- 4 cups short grain Spanish rice
- 6 cups water, warm
- Generous pinch saffron threads
- 1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
- 2 lobster tails
- 1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Special equipment:
Large paella pan
or wide shallow skillet
Directions
Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve.
In the same pan, make a sofrito by sauteing the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan, add the lobster tails. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it’s perfect.
Cook’s note: The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat.
Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.
Spice Mix for chicken:
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken; marinate for 1 hour, covered
s
