Paella

[Mark57]

Not sure how "healthy" this recipe is, but it isn't really all that unhealthy either.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci...ml?rsrc=search

If you get it right, the "socarrat" is so good it will make you cry. I made this for dinner today, with chicken, chorizo, mussels, scallops and shrimp. It was so good I just wanted to share. A big electric skillet works perfect for this.



1frying chicken, cut in 12 pieces
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Spanish chorizo sausages
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 Spanish onion, diced
2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
Pinch sweet paprika
2 cups Spanish rice, short to medium grain, like Valencia
2 teaspoons saffron threads
6 cups warm stock or water
2 lobster tails, split
1 pound calamari (squid), cleaned and cut in rings
1 pound jumbo shrimp
1 dozen mussels, cleaned
1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed
Lemon wedges
Pimentos, cut in strips

Rinse the chicken pieces and pat dry. Season all over with salt, black pepper, and oregano. Heat the oil in a paella pan or wide skillet. Brown the chicken on all sides, when nearly cooked through, add the chorizo links and brown.

Remove the chicken and sausage from the pan. Cut the sausages into slices and set aside. Drain out excess oil but don't clean the pan. Make a sofrito by sauteing the garlic, onion, and tomatoes, cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Season with salt, black pepper, and paprika.

Add the rice, stirring to coat the grains. Steep the saffron in 1/4-cup hot water for 5 minutes then stir it into the rice.

Add the stock/water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks and absorbs evenly. Do not cover or constantly stir like risotto. Add the shellfish and the reserved chicken and sausage.

Simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente and the mussels have opened. (Do not eat any mussels that do not.)

Scatter the peas on top and continue to cook until the liquid is absorbed. The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat. Allow to rest off the heat for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with lemon wedges and strips of pimento.

[RobLL]

One of the great foods in the world. And not unhealthy - unless one does not tolerate carbs. I miss Paella, but fun to read that someone else has discovered them. I have a whole library of the variants in my personal cook book.

[kuri]

hmmm paella..hmmmm saffron....

Thanks for the recipe Mark!

[RobLL]

I may try making this without the rice (my first second and third reaction ), and serving it over steamed chopped cauliflower. It you cook the cauliflower just right it does come to a sort of neutral flavor like rice, and the texture is OK.

[Mark57]

I wonder if you put finely chopped cauli in instead of the rice if it would turn out the same? Part of the goodness is the rice absorbes the flavors of the chicken, chorizo, garlic, onion, etc. Maybe raw cauliflower would work the same.

[Mark57]

One of these days I'll put more saffron in when I make it. I just use a pinch, I think if you used the amount the recipe calls for it would be about $20 worth.

[RobLL]

Originally Posted by Mark57

One of these days I'll put more saffron in when I make it. I just use a pinch, I think if you used the amount the recipe calls for it would be about $20 worth.

Here in the Seattle area I can go to the Pike Place Market and there are at least three places where a gram of saffron is about $7, at least last time I got it, and you are right, at a grocers it would be about $20. Going on line the first place I came up with was like $3.50 a gram.

http://www.sfherb.com/spices.asp

ps. After I make some, I will let you know how cauliflower works. My suspicion, is OK, not great.

[Ogedei]

Cauliflower done right show be ok. It is one of the mashed potatoe sub recipes you are always seeing!

[RobLL]

Did it! With cauliflower. Taste of course was fabulous, even though we don't have great seafood here, being east of the coast, and south of the Puget Sound area.

The spicing and flavors were great, and the cauliflower added to the dish. The texture was entirely pleasant. But, let this sad pre diabetic tell you, enjoy modest amounts of rice while you can. But should you have to give it up, cauliflower in this is a pretty good second choice. Even my wife and m in law wanted cauliflower. I had offered to do theirs with rice - I still have the right kind in the pantry.

PS Mark - I think the recipe's two tsp of saffron was a misprint, I have never in 35 years used that much in this sized a dish. Don't think you would like it. I used a large pinch.

[Mark57]

Cool, I'll have to give that a shot with the cauli. I bought a small bag of medium grain brown rice that I want to try with it too. Still rice, but maybe not quite as bad.

Yeah, I just use a pinch too, with the hot water it seems to provide plenty of flavor. That recipe is on foodtv.com and is from Tyler Florence btw, in case you want to go and print it out or something. We tried a couple other recipes but this one was the easiest and tastiest we found.

Paella Espania

[RobLL]

just thought of something - In Mexico that have a similar colored spice which they call saffron, but is not a true crocus saffron.


http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/saffron2.html
Often safflower is substituted, it's sometimes known as Mexican or American saffron, and the flavor is no where near the same though the color is similar