The World of Computer Software/The World of Computer Software.iso/rec754.zip/REC824

Text File | 1993-01-18 | 4KB | 79 lines

Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes
Distribution: world
From: Sharalee <[e-mail]>
Subject: MEAT: Paella
Keywords: recipe meat/paella
Summary: orig. subject: paella follow-up
Archive-Name: recipes/meat/paella
Followup-To: rec.food.cooking
Organization: ?
Approved: [e-mail]


The reason you have found paella to be radically different depending
where you get it is that it's another of these wonderful "collect
everything in the fridge and throw it in the pot" dishes. The following
is sort of an outline -- improvise to suit your own tastes.
Quantities, except for the rice and broth, are extremely flexible.

Phase I - Make the chicken & broth
Put 3lb or so of chicken parts (or a whole fryer) in about 10 cups of
water with salt and pepper.  Add a couple of bay leaves and a few whole
cloves. You can also add things like onion, garlic, celery, carrot,
leeks, etc as you would when making chicken soup.  Cook until the
chicken is tender.  Strain & save the broth, and discard (or eat) all
the solid bits except the chicken meat and the bay leaves.  Tear the
chicken into manageable pieces and set aside. (I've had paella where
the chicken was left on the bones, and I find it rather difficult to eat.)

Phase II - Things to be sauteed
olive oil (for sauteeing)
garlic, several cloves, sliced, crushed or minced
onion, 1 med to large, chopped
1 large bell pepper, finely diced (you could add a small hot pepper
                    also if you felt like it)
3-4 medium tomatoes, chopped, left sitting in some wine
chorizo, cut into 1/4" slices (i've used kielbasa when i can't get
                chorizo - it doesn't matter as long as
                it's that kind of firm sausage)
shrimp, shelled and deveined

Heat some olive oil over high heat in a *large* pan (they actually sell
paella pans, but you can use a large saute pan or even a wok).  Add the
garlic and saute until light brown.  Add the onions, cook until
translucent.  Add the pepper, cook a few minutes more.  Add the sausage
and shrimp.  When the shrimp are done (they've *just* turned kind of
orange-red-pink and are curled up -- don't overcook them), add the
tomatoes and their wine.  Turn the heat down a bit.

Phase III -- The Wet Part
You will need:
the chicken broth, chicken & bay leaves from Phase I
a small sack  (a couple pounds, I guess) of live mussels and/or clams
3 cups rice
oregano, thyme, ground pepper (black or white, a little cayenne if you like)
saffron

Prepare the shellfish (remove their beards, wash the shells, make sure
none of them are dead). Put roughly six cups of broth into the pan with
the cooked veggies, sausage and shrimp.  Add spices to taste (don't
forget the bay leaves).  The saffron should be maybe 2-3 threads --
it's the big flavor here.  Stir thoroughly, then add the shellfish.
Cook for a few minutes, and the shellfish should start to open.  When
they are well on their way, start sprinkling the rice over the mixture,
gently folding it in as you go. Be careful from this point on not to
mangle the shellfish -- you don't want a lot of empty shells when
you're done.  When all the rice is in the dish, let it cook for 10
minutes or so, stirring occasionally.  Add the rest of the broth and
the cooked chicken pieces.  Continue cooking until the rice is "right"
 -- tender, not too dry, not too wet.  Take out the bay leaves (or don't
bother if it's just you).

I've had this with peas in it, which was quite good.  You can use any
kind of shellfish, vary the veggies, change the spices, substitute bite
sized pieces of boneless pork for the sausage, etc etc.  Use your
imagination and have fun!

Sharalee