Paella is one of my favorite taste treats. At its heart, Paella is a peasant dish made with fresh available ingredients and rice at its base. It’s a dramatic dish that’s easier to prepare than you might think and can be made with anything and everything you love, or just whatever you have in the kitchen. I love a combination of shellfish, sausage, chicken and vegetables in my Paella. The Spanish call this type of Paella, Mixta, since it’s a mixture of meats.
Spain is the home of Paella. The peasants of Valencia would use the paella pan to cook rice with easily available ingredients from the countryside. Paella is made with highly absorbent short grain rice, like Bomba or Arborio. The stock you use in Paella defines the flavor profile of the dish. The deeper and richer the stock, the more flavorful the rice will be. Saffron adds fragrance, taste, and color to the dish, but Saffron is both potent and pricey. Only a pinch is needed.
The shallow Paella pan is a versatile cooking vessel and can be used for many other Spanish dishes. Paella can be cooked on the stove, over a fire, grill, or propane burner.
This one pan wonder is really an endless possibility of dishes made with almost any combination of ingredients and despite the beauty and drama of the dish, it’s quite easy to prepare.
There are several keys to the perfect paella.
It’s important to clean and season the pan with oil before and after you use it.
Make or use a flavorful stock. It can be seafood, beef, or chicken based, or event vegetarian.
Layering the flavors, starting with meats, then Sofrito, then rice and stock, and finally vegetables is key. Season at each layer so flavors develop through out the cooking process.
Once the rice and stock are added to the pan, cover the paella with foil to hold in the steam, letting the rice plump to perfection. Paella is done when the liquid has been absorbed. Taste the rice at the edge of the pan and in the middle to be sure that’s it’s cooked al dente throughout the pan. Al dente rice is firm but not crunchy.
You’re gonna love it!
Prep Time: 75-90 Minutes
Serves: 15 people
Recipe Ingredients:
For the Paella
1 Cup olive oil
1/4 Cup minced garlic
1 Pound Spanish Chorizo, sliced Linguica or other sausage can be substituted)
12 Cups (3 quarts) Stock (See preparation details below for seafood stock)
2 Tablespoons salt to taste
1 Gram (a pinch) Saffron
5 Cups Sofrito (see preparation details below)
15 Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 Pounds mussels (1 pound for stock, 1 pound for paella)
2 Pounds prawns
3 Multi-colored bell peppers, seeds removed, sliced as shown
1 Pound frozen green peas
1 Kilo (5 cups) Bomba or Arborio rice
For the Fish Stock
1 Pound mussels
3 Quarts chicken stock
1 Cup white wine
1 Large onion (coarsely chopped)
3 Celery stalks (coarsely chopped)
1 Stick (1/2 cup) butter
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
Variety of herbs (1 tablespoon each rosemary, oregano, thyme)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
For the Sofrito
4 Large tomatoes
2 Medium sized onions
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
(For a stovetop, the maximum size paella pan is usually 20 or 22 inches. In an oven, the largest is usually 17 or 18 inches. Either size pan will work for this recipe.)
Recipe Ingredients:
Step 1 – Make the Stock
Bring a large stockpot to a boil, then add all the stock ingredients.
Let water return to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer (covered for 30 minutes).
Salt and pepper to taste.
Strain the stock so you are left with just broth. (If you are making the stock in advance, be sure to reheat the stock before adding it to your Paella.)
Step 2 – Make the Sofrito
Slice tomatoes into quarters.
Peel and slice onions into quarters.
Puree tomatoes, garlic and onions in food processor.
Consistency should be like a thick milkshake.
Set aside.
Step 3 – Make the Paella
Reheat stock if needed, so it’s hot when you’re ready to add it.
Heat the oil in the Paella Pan over medium high heat.
Add sliced sausage to pan and brown it. Stirring occasionally to brown on both sides.
Add chicken to pan, ensuring chicken has been patted dry first. Brown chicken in oil on both sides (approximately 3-4 minutes a side) – adjust heat as needed.
Once the meat is browned, push the meat to the outer edges of the pan and add the Sofrito to the middle of the pan.
Simmer Sofrito until liquid is reduced, stirring frequently. It should become a deep red color as the tomato liquid evaporates, about 10-15 minutes.
Mix ingredients in the pan to combine meats and Sofrito.
Add rice all at once, coving the the pan and other ingredients completely and evenly throughout the pan.
Add enough of your stock to just cover rice, approximately 2 quarts.
Adjust heat to bring stock to a light boil and cook for about 10 minutes without stirring.
Add fresh mussels and shrimp to the pan on top of rice.
Add remaining stock to pan and continue to cook another 10 minutes.
Place fresh bell peppers and peas over top of Paella and gently press into rice. It will cook as rice cooks.
As rice absorbs liquid it should be plump and firm. Taste rice for doneness at the edge of the pan and in the middle.
Paella is ready when all liquid is absorbed and rice has been cooked to a firm, al dente texture. Rice should not be crunchy.
Add additional liquid if necessary and continue cooking. You don’t want bottom of pan to burn the rice. Total rice cooking time typically doesn’t exceed 30 minutes.
The key is to not boil off liquid too fast so that rice burns, and not too slowly, so that liquid doesn’t absorb completely.