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Some people get rather passionate about paella (pah-ay-yah). Having many forms and variations it is generally a saffron infused rice spiked with chicken, rabbit, seafood / shellfish, snails, sausage (chorizo), vegetables etc. - pretty much whatever is best and freshest to hand. Back in the old days the typical Valencian version (the mother of all paellas) was cooked in the town square over an open fire to feed a family / village. It contained either chicken or rabbit, green beans, snails and fresh lima beans, and was cooked to such a state as to form a crispy crust on the bottom of the pan - the socarrat - which I feel is the difference between a good paella and a great paella.

The tummy rumbles version is far from authentic, and *gasp* contains all the naughty stuff like onions, peppers, chorizo, shellfish and heaven forbid, peas. This would send any true Valencian into a furious fit.

But I reckon food is all about doing things your way. And this version is my way with some rather untraditional ingredients. I still adhere to the fundamental preparation techniques of Arroz en Paella (rice in a paella pan), but I just don’t follow all the rules. Oh, and I don’t have a traditional paella pan either ;-), so just use something skillet-like.

Arroz en Paella
1.5 cups calasparra rice (or any medium grain rice will do, including arborio)
4 cups chicken stock
0.50g saffron
2 large chicken breasts
500g vongole (clams)
12 king prawns, heads and shell removed
1 chorizo, hot
1 onion, sliced
1 red capsicum, sliced
Handful of peas
Olive Oil

Pour the chicken stock into a small pan and let it come to a simmer. Add the saffron, allowing the colour/flavour to infuse. Keep on a very low heat whilst you prepare the rest of the dish.

Place a glug of olive oil into a paella pan/skillet and fry the sliced onion and capsicum over medium-high heat for 15 or so minutes. This will form the sofrito, which will add a sweet, caramelised flavour to the dish. Don’t skimp on this step - it really does help to flavour the final product.

Once cooked, empty the sofrito into a bowl and add the sliced chorizo in the pan. Again, you want to cook it rather well, allowing the chorizo to colour slightly, rendering it’s tasty juices into the pan. Remove chorizo when cooked, leaving the oil/rendered juices in the pan. Add diced chicken and brown, letting it soak up the flavours of the paprika infused chorizo. Remove this from pan when done.

Place the sofrito back in the pan and add the rice, allowing it to cook for a minute or two. When slightly translucent, add the chicken, chorizo, peas and chicken stock. Make sure the chicken / chorizo is nicely dispersed throughout the pan. Plunge the vongole hinge side down into the soupy rice, and then the prawns. Once it has come to the boil, drop the temperature to a slow simmer and allow to cook for 20 minutes. DO NOT STIR.

At around the 15 minute mark you may want to check to see if the rice needs any more liquid. If it does, just add a bit of water. At about the 20 minute mark turn up the heat a little. You are now aiming for a good socarrat, which is the crispy crust in the bottom of the pan. You can tell this is happening as the rice will start to make crackling sounds, or you may get a toasty smell. At this point it is crucial to keep a very close eye on things. It can go from crispy to burnt in a very short time. What works for me is to time two minutes from when I hear the rice start to crackle.

When the two minutes are up, turn off heat and allow the paella to rest for five minutes. Then serve. This recipe will feed four hungry adults.

Written by mellie on July 15th, 2006 | Tags: Uncategorized | Category: Uncategorized |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL