I visited my older sister at her college during Christmas many many years ago. She was too busy with her thesis to pay any attention to me. I was left to my own devices to explore the city and her school. But the one time she did take some time for me was when she took me to the most popular Spanish restaurant and got me paella. It was my first time having paella. And mixing it with the feeling of Christmas and the attention of my sister made it one of the few meals I still remember vividly. It’s so cool that some foods and moments are captured perfectly in our memories forever. Anyways, that’s what I think of when it comes to paella (:
I read online that classic paella doesn’t use chorizo and that it should have chicken instead. And all the paellas I have seen so far had mussels in them. I’m not a fan of mussels though, so I only used the things I like in this paella – chorizo, shrimp, and squid. Feel free to use whatever seafood or meat you like!
- Ingredients:
- olive oil
- 1/2 pound chorizo
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/2 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 2 bay leaves
- a pinch of saffron
- 8 oz canned tomatoes
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 1/2 pound frozen peas
- salt and pepper
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 pound squid pieces
- Recipe:
- optional – saute the shrimp shells and boil it with a pinch of saffron and the chicken broth to make a super concentrated broth. make sure to strain it before using
- in a wide, shallow pot, heat up some olive oil on medium heat
- add the chorizo and break it down to pieces
- add in the onion, bell pepper, garlic, paprika, bay leaves, and saffron
- stir fry until the vegetables are slightly softened
- add the tomatoes and rice
- stir it all together and season with salt and pepper
- mix in the frozen peas
- pour in the chicken broth (or shrimp broth) and bring it to a boil
- once it boils, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid
- let it sit and cook for 15 minutes without touching it
- after the 15 minutes, taste and season it
- lay out the shrimp and squid on the top and cover with the lid again
- let it cook for another 5-10 minutes
- the seafood should be fully cooked and the rice should be soft with no liquid on top
- sprinkle parsley all over and serve the pot!
Leave a Reply