The Ultimate Paella

We made paella the other night. If you haven’t already figured it out. It has been on my culinary bucket list for some time now (and if it’s not, it should have been). I often think about other places I want to visit in the future. And of course, Spain is on my list. I envision myself walking down the small European streets and sampling jamon and paellas from different eateries. My dream will come true, of course…in due time.

Like most dishes I do, I wanted it to be done perfectly. It’s the OCD and over perfectionalist qualities that I ooze. The one and  only paella pan was purchased, by my other half along with the needed short, stubby rice that ensures its dishes perfection.

We used a 13in paella pan, and with some research, it does matter how much rice:liquid ratio and other ingredient amounts you chose to put in, according to your pan size. I watched Tyler Florence’s video on his ultimate paella recipe and he uses a huge pan, I think it was probably about 20 inches. His recipe listed about 4 cups of rice, which would feed a heck of a lot of people. I scaled it down of course, but as I read the reviews, I was really surprised to see some people use his measurements for any size pan. So moral of the lesson- research!

Improves: I did make some improvisations as I began cooking the layers. Even though I scaled down the recipe to about half, the ingredients still seemed a bit crowded. Next time I will use smaller chicken pieces and 1/2c of rice less. Joe kept reminding me what Julia Child always says, don’t overcrowd the pan”…lesson #2 learned.

Nevertheless, the flavors were insanely amazing. Joe said, “You sound like you’re at an Angels game!” And this was when I took my first pic of the paella and awed at is magnificence.  The flavors were layered and all came together. A pinch of saffron goes a long way and perfumed the entire dish-like magic. This is no cheap meal, by any means, so indulge on good product. We used shrimp, mussels, clams and lobster for seafood. When you put them in at the right time, the shellfish’s natural flavors  meld through the rice and broth. Then you get that bite of spicy authentic chorizo, which you can’t go wrong with in any way. Top with sweet peas and fresh squeeze of lemon. Are you drooling yet?

Method:

1) Begin by marinating the chicken in paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. Refrigerate for about an hour.

2) Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until browned. Once cooked through, reserve to a plate.

3) Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. You don’t need to cook chicken all the way through since it will cook through again in paella. Just brown well. Once browned, remove and reserve to a plate.

4) In the same pan, make a sofrito by sauteing the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat until onions begin to caramelize.

5) Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors come together, about 10 minutes.

6) Next, add the rice to the tomato mixture and stir well allowing all the rice to be coated.

7) Pour in stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir gently at first, the the rice and liquid cook evenly.

8) Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron to rice mixture.  Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.

9) Add the clams, shrimp and lobster tails, tucking them into the rice.  Allow everything to simmer together for about 15-20 minutes. We decided to lightly cover the pan with foil to allow everything to cook evenly. Then remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes so the crusty socarrat can form.

As you can see, we may have over done it with the sea food (but is that really a bad thing?) After I took the pic, we fixed the fish and tucked them more into the rice. Next time, less seafood and/or smaller chicken pieces.

10) Once done, garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.

Enjoy!