You'll need a large round heavy flat bottomed pan. There are Paella pans on the market but I have never used one. Here is a link to La Tienda that sells all things Paella and more: http://www.tienda.com/
There are many recipes out there for Paella. We have made Paella many times and this recipe has
evolved as our very own Paella recipe over the the years.
Paella
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 lb prawns - if they are already cooked you will not need to pre-saute per recipe. I usually buy prawns uncooked.
2 links Spanish Chorizo sliced into 1/4 inch slices
(Be sure to use Spanish chorizo. It has the shape and firm texture of salami but the links are smaller and darker in color)
1 large onion - diced
1 green bell pepper - diced
1/2 cup fresh finely chopped parsley
1 cup frozen peas
Olive oil
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 1/2 tablespoons smoked (paprika) pimenton
1 20 oz can diced tomatoes - don't drain
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup white wine
5 1/2 cups- Swanson's chicken broth
2 cups arborio or bomba rice
1 tablespoon salt (I use Maldon sea salt for Paella. Beware however, once you taste Maldon you'll be spoiled...and may never go back to Morton's)
1-2 lemons to serve with and or garnish
salt & pepper
I always chop and measure out all the ingredients first! It makes the process of making the paella more fun once you start adding ingredients. When everything's prepped and ready you can focus on following the recipe, and enjoy that glass of wine as you follow the steps!
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large pan - saute prawns over medium heat - 3 minutes per side and set
aside on a plate.
To large pan add 1 tablespoon olive oil and saute the chicken breast till brown and set aside on plate.
Into the large pan toss in the chopped onion and bell pepper and lower the heat to medium-low and saute for 8 minutes.
In a small saute pan saute the chorizo slices for a few minutes. Your going to add half the chorizo to the pan with the onions and pepper now and half later. It's not the end of the world if you add it all now-we just like to add the 2nd half of the chorizo later so the chorizo on top is still crisp and spicy when we serve it.
Next, to the large pan, add in the can of diced tomatoes, 1 tsp saffron threads, 1 1/2 tablespoons smoked pimenton and 2 bay leaves. Stir and then simmer all together for 5 minutes.
Next, add 1/2 cup white wine and simmer 2 minutes. Sometimes if I'm feeling generous to the paella I'll make that 3/4 cup. If not, more wine for me!
Next, stir in the 5 1/2 cups chicken stock and 1 tablespoon salt, and bring to a boil. .
Once the liquid reaches a boil, stir in your 2 cups rice, and then quickly lower the heat to a nice
simmer (low)
Stir in the 1 cup peas, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, and gently stir.
Cut the sauteed chicken into 1 inch pieces and add chicken to the pan. Gently stir.
Set the remaining sliced chorizo on top.
Last, carefully arrange your prawns on top. No more stirring! Taste for seasoning at this point and sprinkle in more S&P if needed.
Let this all simmer away for 30-45 minutes. (you want it gently simmering away on a low heat) When the liquid is absorbed and you hear a "crackling" at the bottom of the pan when the paella is ready. Gently lift with a spatula to see if the liquid is absorbed from time to time. You don't want to burn the rice at the bottom of the pan but you definitely want it to brown a little! The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat.
When the paella is ready, remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes. This makes lifting the paella from the pan a little easier.
Serve with quartered lemons and a loaf of good bread and your favorite wine! Enjoy!
This is great the next day heated up in the pan with a little olive oil. Add a little liquid to the pan and warm it up! I find the paella "crackles" up nicely the next day when you heat it up!
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