Venetian Style Paella Food

SPANISH STYLE PAELLA

Steps:

• In a large paella pan over medium heat, add olive oil and then fresh sausage. Saute for about 5 to 8 minutes, or until sausage is well browned. Add chicken and dried sausage to pan and saute 5 to 8 minutes, or until chicken starts to brown. Add the shrimp and saute just until the shrimp begin to turn red and curl, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove all meats from paella pan, using a slotted spoon, and place them on cookie tray to cool.
• In the now empty paella pan, sweat the carrots, onions, and celery for about 15 minutes. Add garlic and saute with vegetables for another 2 minutes. Add the risotto rice, stir and saute until the grains are a pearly white. Add white wine, and allow to cook down until almost completely gone. Then begin to add broth, about 2 ladles at a time, every 7 to 8 minutes unti1 35 to 40 minutes have passed, or until broth is fully incorporated into rice and vegetables and rice is tender but al dente.
• Stir meat and seafood back in before serving.
• 1 pinch saffron
• Preheat a large sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add ham hocks and olive oil. Allow to caramelize, both sides, for about 10 to 20 minutes. Add carrots, onions and celery, stir in thoroughly. Slice bulb of garlic in half. With wooden spoon, push mixture aside to create room at bottom of pot for caramelizing the garlic. Place each side of the garlic into pot, garlic side down. Leave to caramelize for about 10 minutes. Mix in paprika, tomato paste, tomato puree, chicken stock, bay leaves, and water. Allow to simmer for another 45 minutes.
• Skim off any fat that has formed and add saffron. Allow to simmer for another 30 minutes. Strain and refrigerate to cool.
• Yield: 10 to 12 cups

SPANISH PAELLA

Steps:

• *Please note, this is my version of Paella Mixta I learned to make while living in Madrid, Spain. I've simplified the recipe as best I could for anyone to be able to make without a special pan or equipment. There are MANY variations to Paella so please be respectful that my authentic recipe may be different from yours!
• Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add chopped tomato, bay leaf, paprika, saffron salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add white wine and cook for 10 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed.
• Add chicken pieces, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and rice to the pot. Cook for 1 minute.
• Pour the broth slowly all around the pan and jiggle the pan to get the rice into an even layer. (Do not stir the mixture going forward!).
• Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Give the pan a gentle shake back and forth just once or twice during cooking. (We don't ever stir the rice, so that a crispy crust forms at the bottom, called a socarrat).
• Cook for about 15-18 minutes (uncovered), then nestle the shrimp, mussels and calamari into the mixture, sprinkle peas on top and continue to cook (without stirring) for about 5 more minutes. Watch for most of the liquid to be absorbed and the rice at the top nearly tender. (If for some reason your rice is still not cooked, add ¼ cup more water or broth and continue cooking).
• Remove pan from heat and cover pan with a lid or tinfoil. Place a kitchen towel over the lid and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices. Serve.

THE ULTIMATE PAELLA

Steps:

• Combine the paprika and oregano in a small bowl. Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
• Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve.
• In the same pan, make a sofrito by sauteing the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan, add the lobster tails. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it's perfect.
• Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.

ASIAN-STYLE PAELLA

Steps:

• For the sofrito: Add the cilantro, vegetable oil, garlic, onion and salt to a blender and blend on low speed. Then slowly increase to medium to high speed. It should have a smooth texture to it when done. If the mix is still chunky, add additional oil and continue to blend to assure all the ingredients emulsify. Set aside the sofrito for later use in the paella rice seasoning.
• For the paella rice seasoning: Heat a medium soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the oil and then 1/3 cup of the sofrito and let it cook for about 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, sazon con azafrin, salt and chicken bouillon. Stir together. Taste the liquid to see if it needs any additional salt. Set aside until ready to add to the boiling rice.
• For the rice: Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil to the pot and let heat up for 1 minute. Add the rice, water and reserved paella rice seasoning and let it slowly come to a boil. Stir all the ingredients together. Allow the rice to absorb all the visible liquid. Once most of the surface liquid is absorbed, stir the rice and turn the heat to low. Cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. The rice grains will be fluffy when fully cooked and all the liquid will be absorbed.
• For the meats: Heat a wok or pan over medium heat. Add the oil and green onions and let it warm. Add Chinese lap cheong sausage, mild pork sausage and edamame beans and stir fry. Add cooked paella rice and sambal chili garlic. Stir the rice, sausages, edamame beans and onions together. Scoop the rice in a bowl, top with the soy marinated pork carnitas and garnish with green onions.
• Combine the soy sauce, sugar, mirin, oyster sauce, mushroom soy, green onions, star anise, cloves, peppercorn blend, cinnamon sticks and ginger slices in an 18-quart container. With a large whisk, mix the ingredients together. Make sure all the sugar at the bottom is properly stirred into the liquid. Gradually pour the water into the container and continue to stir.
• Cut the pork butt in 2-inch square pieces. Trim all the hard fat off and leave about a quarter of the soft fat on the meat. Set the pork in a deep cooking pan, and, using a ladle, pour the soy marinade mix over the meat, make sure all the meat is covered in the liquid. (Any extra soy-ginger marinade can be put away and used again on a later date.) Add the dried black mushroom and bay leaves to the liquid, spreading them evenly throughout the pan. Tightly wrap the pan with heavy-duty foil and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make sure the foil is tightly sealed around the pan and cook until the pork is fork tender, about 3 hours. Take the pan out of the oven and remove the foil. With a fork and tongs pull at the pork. It should easily tear off to assure it's fully cooked.

AUTHENTIC PAELLA VALENCIANA

Steps:

• Heat a paella pan over medium-high heat, and coat with olive oil. Add the chicken, rabbit and garlic; cook and stir until nicely browned. Move the browned meat to the sides of the pan, and add the tomato, butter beans, peas, and green beans. Season with paprika, and mix well.
• Fill the paella pan almost to the top with water, measuring the water as you put it in. This is to help you to determine how much rice to add, as paella pans come in different sizes. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 1 hour to make a nice broth.
• Season with a generous amount of salt, and just enough saffron to make a nice yellow color. Season with thyme and rosemary if desired. The goal is to make a rich tasting broth that will soak into the rice to make it delicious. Stir in half as much rice as the amount of water in the pan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

PAELLA VALENCIANA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix pimenton with 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon oil. Rub mixture all over chicken and let stand while you prepare remaining ingredients (or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days).
• Combine broth, rosemary, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small pot; crumble saffron into mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat to lowest setting and cover to keep warm.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 15-inch paella pan over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook, flipping once and occasionally turning pan to ensure even cooking, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Drain fat from pan and wipe out any blackened bits.
• Return pan to medium-high heat and swirl in remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and a large pinch of salt; cook, stirring often, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, until grains are well-toasted and begin to pop, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and wine; cook until liquid has evaporated, about 30 seconds. Discard rosemary from reserved stock mixture and adjust seasoning as desired; add to pan. Bring to a boil and cook, without stirring, until liquid has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Add lima beans, broad beans, and artichoke hearts; nestle chicken into rice, skin-side up.
• Transfer to oven and bake until liquid has evaporated and rice is cooked through (top may look underdone, check just beneath for doneness), 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand, covered with foil, 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

EASY PAELLA

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons olive oil, paprika, oregano, and salt and pepper. Stir in chicken pieces to coat. Cover, and refrigerate.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, red pepper flakes, and rice. Cook, stirring, to coat rice with oil, about 3 minutes. Stir in saffron threads, bay leaf, parsley, chicken stock, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Stir in marinated chicken and onion; cook 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and sausage; cook 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp; cook, turning the shrimp, until both sides are pink.
• Spread rice mixture onto a serving tray. Top with meat and seafood mixture.