How do I make authentic Spanish paella?!
I have recently come back from Spain with some paella sachets and now need to know how to cook it the authentic Spanish way, also which rice is best to use!?
ThanksWww@FoodAQ@Com
ThanksWww@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
Ingredients
170g/6oz chorizo, cut into thin slices
110g/4oz pancetta, cut into small dice
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 large Spanish onion, finely diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 tsp soft thyme leaves
? tsp dried red chilli flakes
570ml/1pint calasparra (Spanish short-grain) rice
1 tsp paprika
125ml/4fl oz dry white wine
1!.2 litres/2 pints chicken stock, heated with ? tsp saffron strands
8 chicken thighs, each chopped in half and browned
18 small clams, cleaned
110g/4oz fresh or frozen peas
4 large tomatoes, de-seeded and diced
125ml/4fl oz good olive oil
1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
12 jumbo raw prawns, in shells
450g/1lb squid, cleaned and chopped into bite-sized pieces
5 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1!. Heat half the olive oil in a paella dish or heavy-based saucepan!. Add the chorizo and pancetta and fry until crisp!. Add the garlic, onion and pepper and heat until softened!. Add the thyme, chilli flakes and calasparra rice, and stir until all the grains of rice are nicely coated and glossy!. Now add the paprika and dry white wine and when it is bubbling, pour in the hot chicken stock, add the chicken thighs and cook for 5-10 minutes!.
2!. Now place the clams into the dish with the join facing down so that the edges open outwards!. Sprinkle in the peas and chopped tomatoes and continue to cook gently for another 10 minutes!.
3!. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil with the garlic cloves in a separate pan and add the prawns!. Fry quickly for a minute or two then add them to the paella!. Now do the same with the squid and add them to the paella too!.
4!. Scatter the chopped parsley over the paella and serve immediately!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Paella ingredients:
For 6 - 8 people
1-2 large onions
1 head of garlic
2 large peppers (I use a green one & a red one)
Plenty olive oil (not extra virgin)
1 chicken stock cube (use a fish one if you prefer)
1 chicken chopped up into small pieces (could use chicken breasts)
250g small prawns
250g baby clams or clams
250g calamares in rings
Mussels - 1 or 2 per person
Large prawns - 1 or 2 per person
Food colouring
Rice (short or long grain)
1 bag of frozen peas
Tin of pickled red peppers
Lemons
You'll need a paella pan and three large saucepans for the preparation!.
Preparation:
Your purist Spanish chef will cook the dish from start to finish in a paella dish!. I found that this caused a lot of spitting of hot ingredients considering the large open area of such a pan so I begin by cheating!
1) Take a large, deep saucepan and cover the bottom with the olive oil !.!.!. no worries about quantity as you can't go wrong!. Add the chopped chicken and stir until you hear that the frying has started!. Now throw in the chopped onion, pepper and garlic and fry away gently until everything is cooked!. Lots of juices come out of the chicken during this stage leaving you with a pan full of delicious contents and a great smelling kitchen!. Put this pan aside now as you won't need it until we get to using the paella pan in the final stage!.
2) This is the messy part of the preparation which you can begin while your pot of chicken is cooking away!. You'll need to take the heads and shells off all the small prawns and keep all the heads and shells!. Put the peeled prawns to one side along with the calamari rings which should be halved!. also wash the mussels and clams!.
The next stage is crucial !.!.!.!.
3) You MUST work with the correct quantity of liquid in this recipe!. Whereas everything else is quite flexible this isn't!. I work on the basis of half a mug of rice per person so if we're cooking for 8 people that's 4 mugs of rice!. Emilio taught me to use double the quantity of water to rice "plus a bit" which I've taken to be 9 mugs of water when cooking for these 8 people!.
You're only cooking for 4 people!? Okay, so that's 2 mugs of rice which requires 4 mugs of water "plus a bit" so up to 5 mugs of water!.
Now add this water to another deep saucepan and throw in the mussels and clams!. Bring them to the boil and continue until all the shells are open (discard any that don't open) then sieve the water into another large saucepan!. Set the mussels and clams aside as we won't need them until the final stage!.
4) Now in the water which you've just boiled the shellfish add the heads and shells from the small prawns!. Once they're boiling add some yellow food colouring (saffron is of course the choice of the purist here but it doesn't create that fabulous paella colour and it's expensive)!. also add the chicken stock cube!. A fish stock cube is an alternative but I use chicken to tone down the fish flavour slightly!. The rice will take its salt from this stock cube!.
After a few minutes of gentle boiling the water will have taken on the flavour of the prawn heads and shells and will have turned into a deep yellow colour!. Turn off the heat and use a colander to sieve out the shells which can now be disposed of leaving you with a pan of delicious stock!.
5) Now we can move outside and cook in the paella pan!. In Spain we have burners that connect to a gas bottle and the paella pan sits on this burner!. Alternatively you can place your paella pan on the gas rings of your cooker though you must try to make the heat supply equal on all parts of the pan!.
Heat up the paella pan and add the contents of the saucepan containing the chicken, onions, peppers and garlic as well as the clams or baby clams!. Once these start sizzling throw in the rice (remember!.!. 4 mugs for 8 people and 2 mugs for 4 people)!. Stir the rice into the juices and don't worry if some bits stick as this becomes the favourite part of the paella in its home region of Valencia where the burnt bit is known as 'socorrat'!. also add the peeled prawns and calamares at this stage!.
Immediately pour in the yellow fish stock, stir and allow to boil very gently!. Don't worry if all the stock doesn't go in immediately, just let some cook off and add it later!. Now you throw in the frozen peas and place the mussels, large prawns and strips of red peppers carefully to make the dish look as attractive as possible!. This is where the guests start complementing the chef!
6) Allow the paella to cook gently for around 20 minutes, turning the pan occasionally to make sure that all parts of it are cooking equally!. Towards the end I like to put a newspaper over the pan which ensures that the rice on top cooks properly (keep the ink off the rice!)!. Once most of the liquid has been soaked up by the rice your masterpiece is finished!. Just place a few halves of lemon on top and place the whole paella pan in front of your very impressed guests!.
Www@FoodAQ@Com
For 6 - 8 people
1-2 large onions
1 head of garlic
2 large peppers (I use a green one & a red one)
Plenty olive oil (not extra virgin)
1 chicken stock cube (use a fish one if you prefer)
1 chicken chopped up into small pieces (could use chicken breasts)
250g small prawns
250g baby clams or clams
250g calamares in rings
Mussels - 1 or 2 per person
Large prawns - 1 or 2 per person
Food colouring
Rice (short or long grain)
1 bag of frozen peas
Tin of pickled red peppers
Lemons
You'll need a paella pan and three large saucepans for the preparation!.
Preparation:
Your purist Spanish chef will cook the dish from start to finish in a paella dish!. I found that this caused a lot of spitting of hot ingredients considering the large open area of such a pan so I begin by cheating!
1) Take a large, deep saucepan and cover the bottom with the olive oil !.!.!. no worries about quantity as you can't go wrong!. Add the chopped chicken and stir until you hear that the frying has started!. Now throw in the chopped onion, pepper and garlic and fry away gently until everything is cooked!. Lots of juices come out of the chicken during this stage leaving you with a pan full of delicious contents and a great smelling kitchen!. Put this pan aside now as you won't need it until we get to using the paella pan in the final stage!.
2) This is the messy part of the preparation which you can begin while your pot of chicken is cooking away!. You'll need to take the heads and shells off all the small prawns and keep all the heads and shells!. Put the peeled prawns to one side along with the calamari rings which should be halved!. also wash the mussels and clams!.
The next stage is crucial !.!.!.!.
3) You MUST work with the correct quantity of liquid in this recipe!. Whereas everything else is quite flexible this isn't!. I work on the basis of half a mug of rice per person so if we're cooking for 8 people that's 4 mugs of rice!. Emilio taught me to use double the quantity of water to rice "plus a bit" which I've taken to be 9 mugs of water when cooking for these 8 people!.
You're only cooking for 4 people!? Okay, so that's 2 mugs of rice which requires 4 mugs of water "plus a bit" so up to 5 mugs of water!.
Now add this water to another deep saucepan and throw in the mussels and clams!. Bring them to the boil and continue until all the shells are open (discard any that don't open) then sieve the water into another large saucepan!. Set the mussels and clams aside as we won't need them until the final stage!.
4) Now in the water which you've just boiled the shellfish add the heads and shells from the small prawns!. Once they're boiling add some yellow food colouring (saffron is of course the choice of the purist here but it doesn't create that fabulous paella colour and it's expensive)!. also add the chicken stock cube!. A fish stock cube is an alternative but I use chicken to tone down the fish flavour slightly!. The rice will take its salt from this stock cube!.
After a few minutes of gentle boiling the water will have taken on the flavour of the prawn heads and shells and will have turned into a deep yellow colour!. Turn off the heat and use a colander to sieve out the shells which can now be disposed of leaving you with a pan of delicious stock!.
5) Now we can move outside and cook in the paella pan!. In Spain we have burners that connect to a gas bottle and the paella pan sits on this burner!. Alternatively you can place your paella pan on the gas rings of your cooker though you must try to make the heat supply equal on all parts of the pan!.
Heat up the paella pan and add the contents of the saucepan containing the chicken, onions, peppers and garlic as well as the clams or baby clams!. Once these start sizzling throw in the rice (remember!.!. 4 mugs for 8 people and 2 mugs for 4 people)!. Stir the rice into the juices and don't worry if some bits stick as this becomes the favourite part of the paella in its home region of Valencia where the burnt bit is known as 'socorrat'!. also add the peeled prawns and calamares at this stage!.
Immediately pour in the yellow fish stock, stir and allow to boil very gently!. Don't worry if all the stock doesn't go in immediately, just let some cook off and add it later!. Now you throw in the frozen peas and place the mussels, large prawns and strips of red peppers carefully to make the dish look as attractive as possible!. This is where the guests start complementing the chef!
6) Allow the paella to cook gently for around 20 minutes, turning the pan occasionally to make sure that all parts of it are cooking equally!. Towards the end I like to put a newspaper over the pan which ensures that the rice on top cooks properly (keep the ink off the rice!)!. Once most of the liquid has been soaked up by the rice your masterpiece is finished!. Just place a few halves of lemon on top and place the whole paella pan in front of your very impressed guests!.
Www@FoodAQ@Com
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
3/4 cup olive oil
8 tablespoons dry red wine
1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns
1 tablespoon ground coriander
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
8 chicken legs
1 1/2 pound Spanish chorizo or lingui?a sausage,* casings removed
4 large onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound tomatoes, cut into wedges
8 ounces 1/4-inch-thick ham slices, cut into 2 x 1/4-inch strips
2 tablespoons diced salt pork
1 pound hot Italian sausages
3 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned broth
3 cups bottled clam juice
1 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
4 cups short-grain rice
1 1/2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails intact
16 littleneck clams, scrubbed
16 mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1 pound 1-inch-thick halibut or sea bass fillets or shark steaks, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
4 8-ounce frozen uncooked lobster tails (optional), thawed and split lengthwise
Vegetable oil
3 large yellow bell peppers, quartered
3 large red bell peppers, quartered
3 large green bell peppers, quartered
1 10-ounce package frozen peas, thawed
Limes, quartered
Lemon, quartered
*Spanish chorizo, a fresh, garlic-flavored pork link sausage that is milder than Mexican chorizo, is available at Spanish markets!. Lingui?a, a similar Portuguese sausage, is available at Spanish and Latin American markets!.
PreparationCombine oregano, thyme and parsley in small bowl!. Transfer half of chopped herbs to processor!. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine, peppercorns, coriander, 3 minced garlic cloves, cayenne, salt and vinegar!. Blend until coarse paste forms!. Place chicken on large plate!. Rub all but 2 tablespoons paste mixture over chicken!. Cover and chill until ready to use!.
Divide 1/4 cup olive oil between 2 large Dutch ovens or heavy large deep skillets over medium heat!. Divide chorizo, onions, tomatoes, ham, salt pork, remaining chopped herbs and remaining 5 minced garlic cloves between Dutch ovens!. Cook until onions are soft but not brown, crumbling sausage with fork and stirring frequently, about 15 minutes!. Transfer chorizo mixture to large bowl!. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead!. Cover and refrigerate remaining 2 tablespoons herb paste, chicken legs and chorizo mixture separately!.)
Divide remaining 1/4 cup olive oil between Dutch ovens!. Add half of chicken and Italian sausages to each Dutch oven and cook until brown and partially cooked, turning frequently, about 8 minutes for sausages and 12 minutes for chicken!. Transfer to plate!. Return half of chorizo mixture to each Dutch oven!.
Meanwhile, bring stock and clam juice to simmer in heavy medium saucepan!. Add saffron and mix well!.
Add half of rice to each Dutch oven!. Cook over high heat until opaque, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes!. Divide remaining herb paste and remaining 7 tablespoons wine between Dutch ovens!. Bring to simmer, scraping up any bits!. Stir half of stock mixture into each Dutch oven!. Divide shrimp, clams, mussels, fish and bay leaves between Dutch ovens!. Bring to boil!. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes!. Discard any clams or mussels that do not open!.
Meanwhile, prepare barbecue (medium-high heat)!. Brush grill and lobster with vegetable oil!. Place lobsters on grill shell side down!. Add chicken and grill until lobster and chicken are cooked through, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes!. Transfer to large plate!. Tent with foil to keep warm!. Add Italian sausage and bell peppers to grill and cook until sausage is cooked through and pepper are brown in spots, turning frequently, about 10 minutes!. Transfer sausages and peppers to another plate!. Cut sausages into 2-inch pieces!. Cut bell peppers into 1/2-inch-wide strips!.
Divide chicken, lobster, sausage, peppers and peas between Dutch ovens!. Cover, remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes!. Rearrange shellfish and peppers decoratively atop rice!. Serve with lime and lemon wedges!.
Www@FoodAQ@Com
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
3/4 cup olive oil
8 tablespoons dry red wine
1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns
1 tablespoon ground coriander
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
8 chicken legs
1 1/2 pound Spanish chorizo or lingui?a sausage,* casings removed
4 large onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound tomatoes, cut into wedges
8 ounces 1/4-inch-thick ham slices, cut into 2 x 1/4-inch strips
2 tablespoons diced salt pork
1 pound hot Italian sausages
3 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned broth
3 cups bottled clam juice
1 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
4 cups short-grain rice
1 1/2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails intact
16 littleneck clams, scrubbed
16 mussels, scrubbed and debearded
1 pound 1-inch-thick halibut or sea bass fillets or shark steaks, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
4 8-ounce frozen uncooked lobster tails (optional), thawed and split lengthwise
Vegetable oil
3 large yellow bell peppers, quartered
3 large red bell peppers, quartered
3 large green bell peppers, quartered
1 10-ounce package frozen peas, thawed
Limes, quartered
Lemon, quartered
*Spanish chorizo, a fresh, garlic-flavored pork link sausage that is milder than Mexican chorizo, is available at Spanish markets!. Lingui?a, a similar Portuguese sausage, is available at Spanish and Latin American markets!.
PreparationCombine oregano, thyme and parsley in small bowl!. Transfer half of chopped herbs to processor!. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine, peppercorns, coriander, 3 minced garlic cloves, cayenne, salt and vinegar!. Blend until coarse paste forms!. Place chicken on large plate!. Rub all but 2 tablespoons paste mixture over chicken!. Cover and chill until ready to use!.
Divide 1/4 cup olive oil between 2 large Dutch ovens or heavy large deep skillets over medium heat!. Divide chorizo, onions, tomatoes, ham, salt pork, remaining chopped herbs and remaining 5 minced garlic cloves between Dutch ovens!. Cook until onions are soft but not brown, crumbling sausage with fork and stirring frequently, about 15 minutes!. Transfer chorizo mixture to large bowl!. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead!. Cover and refrigerate remaining 2 tablespoons herb paste, chicken legs and chorizo mixture separately!.)
Divide remaining 1/4 cup olive oil between Dutch ovens!. Add half of chicken and Italian sausages to each Dutch oven and cook until brown and partially cooked, turning frequently, about 8 minutes for sausages and 12 minutes for chicken!. Transfer to plate!. Return half of chorizo mixture to each Dutch oven!.
Meanwhile, bring stock and clam juice to simmer in heavy medium saucepan!. Add saffron and mix well!.
Add half of rice to each Dutch oven!. Cook over high heat until opaque, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes!. Divide remaining herb paste and remaining 7 tablespoons wine between Dutch ovens!. Bring to simmer, scraping up any bits!. Stir half of stock mixture into each Dutch oven!. Divide shrimp, clams, mussels, fish and bay leaves between Dutch ovens!. Bring to boil!. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes!. Discard any clams or mussels that do not open!.
Meanwhile, prepare barbecue (medium-high heat)!. Brush grill and lobster with vegetable oil!. Place lobsters on grill shell side down!. Add chicken and grill until lobster and chicken are cooked through, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes!. Transfer to large plate!. Tent with foil to keep warm!. Add Italian sausage and bell peppers to grill and cook until sausage is cooked through and pepper are brown in spots, turning frequently, about 10 minutes!. Transfer sausages and peppers to another plate!. Cut sausages into 2-inch pieces!. Cut bell peppers into 1/2-inch-wide strips!.
Divide chicken, lobster, sausage, peppers and peas between Dutch ovens!. Cover, remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes!. Rearrange shellfish and peppers decoratively atop rice!. Serve with lime and lemon wedges!.
Www@FoodAQ@Com
You need a paella pan and the arboreo rice and seafood and Spanish sausage and yum I'm gettign hungry as I write this!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
If you're stuck for authentic ingredients, Brindisa is great, they have shops in London, or you can order online!.Www@FoodAQ@Com