Traditional Spanish Paella Food

AUTHENTIC SPANISH PAELLA

Steps:

• It's best to have all of your ingredients prepared before you start cooking.
• Prepare the rabbit by separating the legs, cutting remaining meat into small slices and lightly salting. (In my area rabbit is seasonal. During the summer and fall I substitute with chicken legs).
• I peel my shrimp, leaving only the tail and then salt them. In Spain they tend to leave the shrimp unshelled.
• I always try to make my chicken stock from scratch (time permitting), adding a bit of rosemary, a tiny pinch of saffron and a bit of thyme. If you're going to use bouillon, I'd recommend at least heating it up with these herbs and then straining before you start.
• Keep your stock hot but not boiling as you cook.
• Coat the bottom of your pallera/pan with olive oil.
• Brown your chorizo over high heat for 1-2 minutes. Do not fully cook, just get the outside well browned. Set aside. This should add a nice red color and a hell of a flavor to your oil.
• Brown the Rabbit for 2-3 minutes. It should not be fully cooked. Set aside.
• Brown garlic, onion and bell pepper until they're softened, adding plum tomatoes shortly before the mixture is finished.
• Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and on the other add the half can of tomato paste. Caramelize it, flipping it and spreading it until it begins to loosen (1-2 min over hight heat).
• Mix all of the vegetables and meats together with the caramelized tomato paste also adding the paprika, parsley and thyme.
• Add rice, mixing together and stirring as the rice browns (1-1 1/2) minutes. As the rice browns mix in the saffron. Make sure to break it between your fingers and stir it in to release all those tasty oils.
• When the rice is slightly translucent add enough chicken stock to cover the whole mixture. If it's been kept warm, it will begin to boil almost immediately. Lower to a medium heat but keep it at a steady boil.
• This is where paella is made and broken. I stir a few times in the first 5-10 minutes, adding broth as necessary to keep the rice fully covered. After this you must let the paella SIT! Let it cook another 10-20 minutes (I find that this step takes longer on a stovetop), adding broth bit by bit to keep the rice submerged until the rice on the top is al dente. Don't worry about rice burning to the bottom, this part (which actually has a name which escapes me at the moment, it's something like socarrat) is a tasty delicacy.
• Once you've stirred the paella for the last time and are letting cook, when you have about 8 minutes left to cook lay shrimp on top, turning over after 2-4 minutes to cook other side.
• When the rice on top is still quite al dente, take paella off of heat and cover. You must let it sit for 15-20 minutes. I've taken the lid off prematurely and ended up with a crunchy mess. Patience is the key.
• Once you're sure it's ready uncover, garnish with lemon wedges and enjoy!

TRADITIONAL SPANISH PAELLA RECIPE

Steps:

• Clean and peel the prawns. Use the shells and head to make broth. Reserve it. Also, clean the squid and chop them in a round shape.
• After that clean the seashells with plenty of water to clean them from any sand residue.
• In a paella pan, or very large and deep frying pan, sauté the onion, garlic, pepper, and tomato minced in small squares in olive oil. Add a little pepper and salt.
• Put the squid and then the seashells. Let them cook for a few minutes. You will see that a broth starts to form, this is fine.
• Add the 2 cups of rice and stir to mix everything. Then add 4 cups of the shrimp broth that you made earlier. If you don't have enough, complete with water.
• Stir well. Add a teaspoon of yellow saffron powder and boil for about 3 minutes.
• Then add the fresh peas, the prawns, and the parsley, (previously chopped). Check the salt and pepper and add more if necessary.
• Cook until the liquid is almost completely gone. At this time you can put some prawns with their shells. Lower the heat and cover.
• After that, cook for 15 minutes and taste the rice grain. If it's ready, remove it from the heat and serve your seafood paella warm.

AUTHENTIC SPANISH SEAFOOD PAELLA

Steps:

• Rouchly chop 3 cloves of garlic, finely dice 1/2 onion, finely chop 1/2 red bell pepper and cut 1 cleaned tube of squid into small squares
• Heat a paella pan with a medium-high heat and add in 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, after 1 minute season the olive oil with sea salt and add in the cut squid, mix with the olive oil and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then remove from the pan and set aside, then add in the diced onion & chopped garlic into the pan, mix with the olive oil, after 1 minute add in the chopped bell pepper and continue to mix so everything evenly sautees
• After 3 minutes, add in 1/2 cup tomato sauce and season everything with 1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika, sea salt & black pepper, mix together, after 2 minutes and the tomato sauce has thickened, add the squid back into the pan, mix together and then add in 2 1/2 cups fish broth
• Once the broth comes to a boil add in 1 cup round rice, give it one final mix so everything is evenly distributed, after 5 to 6 minutes add in the shrimp and the cleaned mussels, after another 5 minutes, lower the fire to a low-medium heat and simmer until all the broth has been absorbed by the rice, then hit back to a medium-high heat to achieve the socarrat, just go between 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and cover
• After 5 minutes uncover the pan, and garnish the paella with lemon wedges and finely chopped parsley, enjoy!

SPANISH SEAFOOD PAELLA

Steps:

• With a heavy cleaver, chop each breast half into 3 pieces and each leg into 4 pieces.
• Combine the oil, onion, and garlic in a 12- to 14-inch skillet or paella pan and place over low heat.
• When the onion begins to sizzle, increase the heat to medium.
• Add the chicken pieces a few at a time and cook until lightly browned, sprinkling them with a little of the salt, pepper and paprika as they cook.
• As they brown, move the chicken pieces to the outside of the pan to make room for more in the center.
• When all the chicken has lost its raw color, add the squid, peppers, green onion, and the remaining salt, and crumble in the saffron. Stir in the rice, cooking for a minute or so to coat it with the oil.
• Add warm stock to within 1 inch of the rim of the pan (not all the stock may be needed).
• Arrange the shrimp over the top, and the mussels or clams in a ring around the outside, hinged side down.
• Cook at a lively simmer until the rice is just tender, about 20 minutes; scatter the peas over the top halfway through the cooking time.
• The paella may seem a little soupy when it first comes off the fire, but the rice will absorb the excess liquid in a few minutes.
• Tip:This works well woth boneless, skinless chicken thighs as suggested by YaYa.