Paella

For years I’ve dreamed of making Paella, but often heard cooks say it was difficult. For me it was actually simple. Having all the ingredients prepped before starting made it go fast and easy. Using the right pan and rice was another plus. Amazon had both, the right size paella pan for my largest gas burner; 13-inch Carbon Steel Paella Pan and Spanish Bomba Rice for Paella. Whenever I visit the little mountain town of Murphy’s Ca, I treat myself to something special from a little store called “The spice Tin”. Recently I purchased Spanish Saffron. It’s expensive but a little bit goes a long way, in this recipe only 1/2 teaspoon before crushing. You know Paella was on my mind. The absolute best Paella has a caramel gooey sticky sweet umami to scrape from the pan bottom called socarrat. To achieve it, turn the heat on high for a bit before serving. Do not stir ever after adding the rice!

Pam’s Paella Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon Saffron blooming

1/4 cup olive oil (Light cooking)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

fresh ground pepper

2-3 cloves garlic crushed

6-8 quartered pieces of chicken thighs seasoned

2 sausage links Spanish chorizo, or your choice

12 raw shrimp shelled and deveined

2 small lobsters 3-4 oz each split down middle of spine with cleaver

1 small white onion, or 2 shallots chopped

1/2 cup combined red and green bell pepper chopped

2/3 cup canned tomato chucks, drained

bit of flat leaf parsley

6 cups broth (I used 4 cups chicken & 2 cups seafood stock)

2 1/2 cups Bomba rice (the whole bag of rice in picture

Day before cut chicken and season with salt, pepper, granular garlic and paprika.

Day of:

Bloom saffron by heating up some of the broth, to warm, crushing the saffron ribs with your fingerers and placing them in broth.

Chop peppers and onion.

Crush garlic and drain tomatoes.

Rinse shrimp and dry on paper towels.

Cut lobster, use knife or cleaver cut long ways, pull the meat out and place back in shell.

Cut sausage 1/4-inch slices

Heat oil sprinkle in circle around edges of pan. Cook the chicken enough to brown on all sides, then remove.

Cook sausage to browned and remove.

Cook shrimp to just starting to turn pink and remove.

Cook lobster the same and remove.

Cook vegetables a few minutes to just starting to get soft.

Return Chicken to pan, add 4 cups of broth, and bring to a boil.

Slowly and evenly spread the rice with your hands all across the pan. If some rice sits out of the broth, like onto the chicken brush it off.

Boil evenly for 8-10 minutes. Check to make sure everything is cooking evenly, rotating the pan as needed.

Add more broth. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan, add the lobster, shrimp and sausage. Do not stir! When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it’s perfect.