Paella is a typical Spanish recipe and is traditionally cooked in a “paellera” - a round flat pan with two handles - which is then put on the table. It is normally made using shellfish but can also be made with chicken or rabbit.
Chicken Paella
1/2 pint of oil
1 chicken, cut to 8 pieces
2 bowls of rice (1lb. 5 oz. approximately)
5 bowls of meat broth
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 small can of peas
1 small onion
2 tomatoes
Saffron
1 clove of garlic (optional)
Parsley
Salt
Start by heating half of the oil and once warm add the cut chicken and let it cook for 15 min. Once it’s brown, reserve it in a dishAdd the chopped onion. After 5 minutes, add diced tomatoes, without seeds and peeled.
Let it braise about 5 minutes more, mashing the tomatoes with a skimmer. Strain it and throw it in the paella pan.
Add the rest of the oil to the paella pan. Throw the green pepper, cut to square pieces of half inch. Add the fryed chicken. Keep stirring with a wooden tablespoon, without letting it go brown. Throw salt, and the meat broth, hot but not boiling. This is completed with the 5 broth bowls.
Shake the paella pan a little taking it by the handles so that it is broth flows all over. All this should be made to medium fire.
Meanwhile, in a mortar mash a little bit of garlic (optional), the parsley and the saffron, with a little bit of salt so that it doesn’t slip, and it wet it with a couple of soup spoonfuls of temperate water. Spill this mixture on the rice and shake again the paella pan.
When the broth has reduced to the half decorate the paella with the red pepper cut to ribbons, and the peas.
Let it cook about 20 minutes.
Once the rice is cooked and the broth has reduced, retire the paella pan from the fire, on a wet cloth, leaving it rest for about 5 minutes.
Serve it with some big clusters of lemon without peeling like decoration.
Serves: 6
Mixed Paella
1/2 pint of olive oil
10 mussels
10 clams
2 oz boneless pork, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 oz onions, chopped fine
1 medium tomato, skinned, seeded and chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
32 oz skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
24 oz lobster claws
24 oz rice
3 cups (48 fl. oz) chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon saffron
2 chorizo sausages, cooked and cut into chunks
10 uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 oz peas
4 tablespoon capers
Lemon wedges, to garnish
Scrub and debeard the mussels and clams, discarding any that don’t close when tapped sharply. Set aside.
Heat 1/4 cup (2fl. oz) of the olive oil in a skillet. Add the pork, and brown all sides. Mix in the garlic, onions, tomato, and bell peppers, stirring constantly until cooked. Set aside.
In another skillet, heat a further 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz) olive oil and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, rosemary, thyme, and cumin. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
In the same skillet, cook the lobster claws overt high heat for several minutes until its shell turns pink. Set the skillet aside.
Preheat the oven to 200 ºF. Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet, and sauté the rice until it’s translucent. Pour in the chicken broth, and combine well. Add the pork mixture, stirring constantly. Sprinkle in the saffron and continue to stir until well mixed.
Transfer the rice into a paella pan. Mix in the lobster claws, chicken, chorizo sausages, mussels, clams, shrimp, peas, and capers, combining well. Bake the paella, uncovered, and on the lowest oven shelf, for around 25 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
Discard any mussels and clams that have failed to open.
Serve the paella straight from the pan, garnished with lemon wedges.
Serves: 6-8
Red paella
3/4 cup (6 fl. oz) of olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
8 oz clams, scrubbed
12 oz uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups (24 oz) calasparra rice
3 1/4 cups (26 fl oz) fish broth
1/4 teaspoon saffron
6 1/4 cups (50 fl. oz) fish or chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon spanish paprika
1/2 teaspoon saffron
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup (4 fl oz) roasted sweet red bell pepper, sliced
Lemon wedges (optional), to serve
Heat the olive oil in a paella pan over medium to high heat. Add the onion and red bell pepper and cook until the onion begins to soften. Add the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes. Pour in the calasparra rice and cook, stirring constantly, for a further 5 minutes or until the rice is translucent. Mix in the clams, shrimp, broth, paprika, saffron, salt, and pepper. Cover, and cook for 25 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
Remove from the heat. Taste for salt, and arrange the sweet red bell peppers in a pattern over the rice. Cover again and wait 5 minutes before serving.
Serves: 6
Chicken and Shrimp Paella
1/2 cup (4 fl. oz) of olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
1 can (about 10 oz) condensed onion soup
1 can (about 10 oz) condensed tomato soup
3 cups (24 fl oz) water
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups (16 oz) calasparra rice
32 oz uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 large green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/4 teaspoon saffron
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (6 oz) roasted sweet red bell pepper, in strips
18 (6 oz) mild green canned chiles
1 cup (8 oz) stuffed olives, sliced
Heat the olive oil in a paella pan. Add the chicken, and cook until browned on all sides. Add the onion and tomato soups, water, garlic, oregano, turmeric, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook, covered for 15 minutes.
Mix in the rice, shrimp, bell peppers, roasted red bell peppers, and olives and cook, covered, for 25 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed, the shrimp are cooked, and the chicken and rice are tender. Uncover, allow the paella to cool, and serve.
Serves: 8