Paella

Special Notes

Notes: The exact combinations and quantities of the meat and seafood are variable. The sausage has a lot of flavor, so it shouldn't be left out. But you can use chicken and/or swordfish and clams, prawns, mussels and shrimp all work well as the seafood.

To fill the paella pan that I have you need to make a batch and a half. My pan is 14" diameter by 2"+ inches deep. I also did not use as much chorizo. I just used a link and a half for the larger recipe. I did use the picante (spicey) sausage. Also if the cheicken stock is salty then cut the salt needed in half or less.

Recipe provided by: Dan and Tricia

We found that the mussels did not cook well and may be best steamed on their own and then added to the paella. The last time I made this I sauteed a little onion, garlic, and smokey paprika then added a beer and the mussels. The mussels steamed until they opened then I added them to the paella when it was done and just resting in the oven.

Kirsten Furlong our CTAC Artist in Residence Sept/Oct 2015 gave us a Paella package from The Basque Market in Boise Idaho as a thank you gift. We made the Paella for New Years Eve 2015. The Basque Market Recipe follows.

Mixed Paella

1/8 c olive oil

1 medium onion – diced

3 cloves garlic minced or chopped

1/2 c green pepper – diced

1 T smoked paprika

1/2 c white wine

Salt

1/4 cup pimentos – diced

1 cup vegetables

1-2 c pre-cooked meat (chorizo, jamon serrano, chicken, use your imagination)

1 lb seafood (shrimp, mussels, clams, cod)

If they are female mussels, debeard them as well so they’ll feel better about themselves.

2 c rice (Valencia rice…we sell here at the market)

6-7 c chicken broth simmering

8-10 strands saffron

Heat up broth with saffron on back burner to a low simmer.

In a paellera (paella pan) for 8 people, heat oil and sauté onion on med heat until golden (about 10 min). Add meat and peppers and saute until meat is heated through. Add garlic and smoked paprika, stir 1 minute. Add rice and mix until all grains are coated. Add wine and boil until almost dry. Add 6 cups of broth, stir and bring to a simmer. Allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes. Nestle seafood into the rice and top with pimentos and vegetables. Allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes more, adding additional broth if rice becomes dry before the rice is cooked through. Simmer until all broth has been absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat and let paella rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8-10 people.

When adjusting for more or less servings, you can usually figure about 4 people to each cup of raw rice, and nearly 3 times the amount of broth as rice. If you cover your paella and place it in the oven to cook, you will need to reduce the amount of broth to 2 times the amount of rice. When a paella is cooked completely on the stove top, you lose a fair amount of liquid in the broth to evaporation, which increases the intensity of the broth and thus the paella.