Often viewed as the national dish of Spain, it is originally from Valencia and takes it’s name from the wide pan it is cooked in. It was originally a lunch time meal for farmers and laborers that they could make anywhere they could build a fire, making it from whatever they had on hand, usually rabbit or duck, with onion and tomatoes. As the dish moved to the Mediterranean shore, seafood became a regular addition. Now you can find Paella made with a variety of ingredients, I tried to capture many of these common ingredients without overloading the dish. We are a family divided, so I make one with and one without shrimp.
Chicken – 4-6 boneless thighs cut into bite sized pieces, or leftover chicken shredded into bite sized pieces.
1# Pork – I like using Pork Shoulder, cut into bite sized pieces.
1# Shrimp (traditional, optional)
3 Roma Tomatoes, or 1 can Rotel
1 diced yellow onion
1 diced bell pepper, red or green (or half of both!)
4 cloves Garlic
1 cup Green Beans in season, if beans aren’t in season, use 1 cup frozen green peas for your green, adding them later.
1 cup other fresh beans, or 1 can of beans (drained) such as capellini or butter beans
1 bay leaf
2 tsp Paprika
2 tsp Saffron powder, or 2 pinch Saffron threads
2 quarts chicken Stock
1-2 Sprigs of Rosemary
2 cups Rice – Bosco or Calasperra is authentic Spanish rice, Arborio is easier to find and makes a great risotto too, you can also use long grain rice but it will likely not cook as evenly.
Parsley and lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
Season the meat with salt and pepper
Add the oil to a large skillet (or two) and allow to warm up
Add the salt – this will not only season the meat but it will also help prevent the oil from splattering.
Add the meat and cook slowly to golden brown, keep stirring so that it cooks evenly.
Add the onions and red pepper to cook until very soft.
Add the tomatoes & garlic to the oil and stir through
When done, push the meat to the outside edges and add the fresh green beans to cook through in the savory oil.
Add the other beans and veggies along with the paprika and bay leaf and cook until just soft
Add the Saffron to a cup of warm water or broth to help it distribute better, then add it to the pan and stir through
Add the broth – increase the heat and bring the broth to a hard boil and then down to a steady low boil
Add the rosemary and stir it around a bit.
Taste the broth and adjust for salt and pepper.
Let the broth boil for a while to develop the flavor, you would like to reduce the broth nearly by half.
Add the peas, if using, and bring it back to a boil
Add the rice, sprinkling it evenly across the pan. Jiggle the pan to distribute the rice evenly, or to loosen it up a little, but never stir the rice.
Boil on high 8 minutes, and then on low for 8 minutes.
If using shrimp, place them into the top for the last 5 minutes.
Increase the heat again, to form the socarrat – the dry crispy bottom – but don’t over do it and burn it, 1 minute will probably do it.
Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
Serve by placing the whole pan in the center of the table, garnished with parsley and with lemon wedges around the edges.
