Paella
Source of Recipe
Spain
Recipe Introduction
This is a great Spanish favorite that comes in all sorts of variations. I don't know the exact amounts of anything since I've never actually measured them, so be creative and if it stinks, well, remember not to do whatever you did again. Original paella has saffron in it that turns it bright yellow; however, saffron is extremely expensive and most Spaniards (the ones I know anyway) use other spices and yellow food coloring to achieve the effect.
List of Ingredients
- Rice that cooks up sticky
- Green and Red Peppers, fresh,1-2 of each
- Tomatoes, 2-3, frozen
- Peas, frozen or fresh
- Chicken, whole or bone-in, or boneless, or whatever
- Salad Shrimp
- Cocktail Shrimp
- Garlic, Whole or Powder
- Onion Powder (Because raw onion is nasty)
- Pepper
- Salt
- Cooking Wine (white or sherry work well)
- (yes mom, the alcohol cooks out)
- Olive Oil
Instructions
- Slice peppers into long strips; put aside half of each (red and green)
- Peel and slice tomatoes
- Saute peas, half the peppers, tomatoes and spices to taste in plenty of olive oil. When in doubt, add more oil.
- Saute' veggies until they look adequately sauted.
- Add chicken, salad shrimp, and cooking wine to veggies.
- Again, saute adequately. The chicken doesn't have to cook all the way through at this point.
- Add rice to the mixture and stir in. Turn the heat down to a good paella-cooking temperature.
- Never stir the paella again. It is the cardinal sin of paella making to stir it even once after the rice has been added.
- Don't stir it! I know you want to, but you can't. It's just wrong.
- Add water to the mix and let it cook down. You'll repeat this several times to make sure the rice cooks all the way through.
- When the rice is just about done, garnish the top of the paella. This is where you use the cocktail shrimp and the rest of the peppers.
- Make exciting food designs on the paella. Express yourself! Pretend you're Martha Stewart before the unfortunate prison incident.
- You now have made an authentic Americanized Spanish dish. Muy Freakin' Bien!
Final Comments
Make sure you cook in a large pan that can distribute heat evenly. A wok works nicely if you don't have a large, flat frying pan. Yes, if you don't stir the paella it will burn slightly on the bottom. It's supposed to. It isn't a real paella if it isn't burnt on the bottom. The oil will help to keep it from sticking and adding water frequently will keep it from burning too quickly. It should be crispy, not black and charcoaly
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