Paella - My latest obsession

[michaelsbagley]

Going back a few weeks ago, I caught the "Good Eats" episode on Paella. I've always wanted to try it, and the funny thing is, I think I first heard about it on an episode of "Seinfeld" (a show I rarely ever watched).

So last weekend, while on a random shopping excursion looking for drapes (well Kate was looking for drapes, I was tagging along ), I was wandering around the kitchen wares aisle of the discount store (you know that one where they sell off the brand name stuff for cheap because they got all the goods from an overstocked factory or a business going under). Anyways, I saw a paella pan on the shelf an looked at it, and I was blown away by the fact that it was only $7! So I bought it, and then went out the next day to buy all the ingredients I needed to cook up a batch.

Let me tell you, I was very happy about my $7 purchase. So I did some more reading, and have found there are a lot of variants on paella. I've found vegetarian versions, seafood versions, mixed almost jambalaya versions... I don't think I have been so excited about a food preparation style since I tried risotto some years back. But Paella is soooo much better than risotto!

So, I was wondering if there are any others out there who have had the obsession in the past, or still do, and what recipes you have tried or particularly like?

Edit -> I looked into the history of the dish a little, and while the modern version seems to have come about in the early 20th century, the concept is traceable back to at least the early to mid 19th century. It might go back further than that, but in my quick first glance at the easy sources, it looks like it doesn't go back too much further than that. If anyone has more information about the history of the dish, I'd love to hear about that as well!

[Ransom]

I was given a heavy, cast iron and enamel Paella pan many years ago. I made the seafood version of the dish, but if memory serves, I thought it sort of labor-intensive to make. However, I was young, not much into cooking then, and using a TimeLife book on Spanish cooking, which probably wasn't too user friendly. LOL

It will be interesting to see what recipes you get. If they aren't too exhausting, I'd give the dish another try.

[Capt. J...]

So I was wondering if you added th HP sauce to it??????????????????

Going back a few weeks ago, I caught the "Good Eats" episode on Paella. I've always wanted to try it, and the funny thing is, I think I first heard about it on an episode of "Seinfeld" (a show I rarely ever watched).

So last weekend, while on a random shopping excursion looking for drapes (well Kate was looking for drapes, I was tagging along ), I was wandering around the kitchen wares aisle of the discount store (you know that one where they sell off the brand name stuff for cheap because they got all the goods from an overstocked factory or a business going under). Anyways, I saw a paella pan on the shelf an looked at it, and I was blown away by the fact that it was only $7! So I bought it, and then went out the next day to buy all the ingredients I needed to cook up a batch.

Let me tell you, I was very happy about my $7 purchase. So I did some more reading, and have found there are a lot of variants on paella. I've found vegetarian versions, seafood versions, mixed almost jambalaya versions... I don't think I have been so excited about a food preparation style since I tried risotto some years back. But Paella is soooo much better than risotto!

So, I was wondering if there are any others out there who have had the obsession in the past, or still do, and what recipes you have tried or particularly like?

Edit -> I looked into the history of the dish a little, and while the modern version seems to have come about in the early 20th century, the concept is traceable back to at least the early to mid 19th century. It might go back further than that, but in my quick first glance at the easy sources, it looks like it doesn't go back too much further than that. If anyone has more information about the history of the dish, I'd love to hear about that as well!

Edited July 28, 2010 by Capt. J...

[Capt. J...]

didnt work...Well......was wondering if you Added the HP sauce to It????????? ha ha

[michaelsbagley]

didnt work...Well......was wondering if you Added the HP sauce to It????????? ha ha

No, no HP Sauce in Paella. The HP sauce is pretty much reserved for beef dishes.

Ransom, it wasn't too labour intensive, but it does have a long cook time, with period checking on it. So I can easily see it not being a day to day dish, but once in a while..... Definitely!!!

[callenish gunner]

I like a seafood paella that I first had on Costa Brava, Spain almost 50 years ago...

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 5 bacon slices, chopped

• 1- 3 1/2-pound whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces or a couple pounds of boneless skinless thighs and breasts cut into smallish pieces

• 2 cups chopped onions (about 2 medium)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups long-grain white rice
• 1 7-ounce jar roasted sliced pimientos with juice
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
• 2 cups bottled clam juice
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

• 1 pound large uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1 pound cleaned squid, bodies cut into 1/2-inch rings
• 1 dozen clams, scrubbed
• 1 dozen mussels, scrubbed, debearded
• 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

• Lemon wedges

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped bacon and cook until fat is rendered, about 6 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels and drain. Set aside.

Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add chicken to bacon drippings in pot and cook over medium heat until brown, about 7 minutes per side. Using tongs, remove chicken from pot.

Add chopped onions and garlic to pot and saut
e until beginning to brown, scraping up any browned bits, about 10 minutes. Stir in rice, roasted pimientos with juices and saffron. Add clam juice and chicken stock to pot and bring mixture to simmer. Remove from heat.

Pour rice mixture into paella baking dish (I got a red clay one last year at the Searle's raid in St. Augustine). Arrange chicken, shrimp, squid, clams and mussels in rice mixture. Sprinkle with chopped bacon and peas. Cover with foil.

Bake paella until chicken is cooked through, clams and mussels open and rice is tender, about 45 minutes (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Remove foil from baking dish. Let paella stand 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

It is so good!!! I like it with an Albarino white Spanish wine

Edited July 29, 2010 by callenish gunner

[hurricane]

I am so with you on this Michael. I've made Paella several times over the years and it is well worth the time invested.

And if you ever want a cheater version that's still pretty good (way better than Hamburger Helper's Paella :), there's

http://www.amazon.com/Vigo-Paella-Vallenciana-19-Ounce-Boxes/dp/B000FDLAXS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1280404893&sr=8-2

Just be sure to supplement their small can of seafood with the real stuff and it's a quick weekday version that does well in a pinch.

-- Hurricane

[Zingara Carmella]

If you like paella you probably will like this version of it , is called "moqueca" (mo-kee-kaa) is a brasilian dish pretty similar easier to make with a little few ingredients, tradition says it was created by slaves during the colonial time (they would use scrapes of food from the "casa grande" (main house).

1 kg white firm white fish (like tilapia) in filets

200gr of shrimp clean and peeled

juice of 1 lime

2 big onions (sliced)

2 garlic cloves

1 green bell pepper 1 yellow (sliced)

1 big tomato firm sliced

2 spoons of olive oil

1 small can of puree tomatoes

1 can of coconut milk

parsely, chives, salt (sea), black pepper, hot peppers (chile) at taste

I tbs of "azeite de dende" or palm tree oil (make a lot of diference)

wash the fish and the shrimp dry it and them put with the lime juice, salt,pepper, and hot pepper(40 min at least)

put the olive oil in a flat pot (with lid) and warm it , when hot put garlic, onions , bell peppers make sure you don't brake the peppers or onion (when onion gets transparent add tomate puree) , when it dry a bit add the coconut milk ans as soon it starts to boil add the fish, cover it and let cook for 5 -10 min (depend how tick the fish is)

when fish looks almost done add shrimp and the "dende oil" mix very gently to not brake fish cover it up and finish cooking (10 min) add parsley and chives at end so it would not look bad

to take it to next level you can make "pirao"

get some juice from the "moqueca" (you can make more wet) add some boiled eggs and "farinha de mandioca" yucca flour raw and slow cooked together , correct the salt, black pepper and the heat (hot pepper) add more parsley until gets a little ticker than oatmeal.

[Diosa De Cancion]

So, I was wondering if there are any others out there who have had the obsession in the past, or still do, and what recipes you have tried or particularly like?

So, we have oddly colliding cooking interests it seems...last time it was Jamaican... I have been playing with some paella recipes over the past few months... Mine was triggered by going out to a paella bar in Orlando and refinding my love of it. Honestly, while I am a definite carnivore, I have found some of the veggie ones to be more flavorful (and much more attractive) I will have to hammer down one recipe i really like and ship it your way :)

[michaelsbagley]

Just goes to show we have coinciding great tastes! Can't wait to see you again, but next time we meet, we should really do dinner!

So, I was wondering if there are any others out there who have had the obsession in the past, or still do, and what recipes you have tried or particularly like?

So, we have oddly colliding cooking interests it seems...last time it was Jamaican... I have been playing with some paella recipes over the past few months... Mine was triggered by going out to a paella bar in Orlando and refinding my love of it. Honestly, while I am a definite carnivore, I have found some of the veggie ones to be more flavorful (and much more attractive) I will have to hammer down one recipe i really like and ship it your way :)

[LadyBarbossa]

I've seen some variations of paella on some shows on the Food Network, mainly when Guy frequents various places on "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives". Some look good, some great, some... ehh. I admit, I'm eager to try it though. I've some seafood and meat and other veggies that need to be cooked up.

This will most likely end up to be one of my fav dishes like ratatouille. :)

Keep the recipes coming, mates!

~Lady B

[wes1761]

There was an episode of Throw Down with Bobby Flay on Paella...I think it was in Frisco........

Looks tasty!! I just got a big Caribbean cookbook from the library....

[Grymm]

No, no HP Sauce in Paella. The HP sauce is pretty much reserved for beef dishes.

But is at it's best splatted over a full English of back bacon, sausage, black pudding, fried egg, baked beans, 'shrooms, grilled tomatos and a fried slice

or spread on toast and topped with grilled cheese or with a Cornish Pasty or mixed with mushy peas to go with y'fish n chips

Paella is a fantastic one pot dish (Anything that saves on washing up is good) cook it and serve it in the same dish and if you jiggle the meat/fish/chicken/chorizo/shellfish around to even it up you can all pitch in and eat from the communal pot too.

Like Cassoulet in France every regeion of Spain have their own paella variant. The family fav is chorizo, chicken and prawns with red & yellow peppers, peas small diced carrot and half veg half chicken stock with a good pinch of saffron (Dry it, grind it to powder and mix with your stock to make it go further and more evenly) finished with a scattering of smoked paprika.

But if it's me and my eldest boy it's a seafood frenzy with mussels, smoked fish, monkfish, oysters and crevettes....+ lobster or crayfish if I can get it cheap enough.

Luckily the American Signal Cray has been declared a pest in UK rivers so we get they wee buggers for free =o)