Paella, is one of my family’s traditional dishes. Today, I share with you my mother’s original recipe for a mixed paella, which is a free-style combination of seafood and vegetables. For all of you who like to entertain like me, this is a great summer dish.
The Paella originated in Valencia, Spain. However, with a grandmother who tout’s her ancestry from Galicea, and parents who constantly cultivate their love affair with the kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula, my Puerto Rican clan makes my mother cook this delicacy whenever she can.
Rice dishes are very popular in European and Latin American countries. My mom’s recipe includes Arborio rice, which is called for in a Risotto. So I want to take the opportunity to go over the differences between a Paella and Risotto.
• Paella is of Spanish origin, whereas Risotto is from Italy.
• Paella is dry at the top and soft on the inside; Risotto has a uniform texture from top to bottom and is creamier and sticky.
• Paella has a coat of crusty, cripsy rice at the bottom of the pan. For the Spanish this toasty carmelization is known as socarrat, but Puerto Ricans call it pegao and treasure it.
Like I mentioned earlier, we’ll be using Arborio rice, which is an Italian short grain, named after the town in Italy where it is grown. It’s easier to find then the more commonly Bomba, from Calasparra, Spain.
It is very important to prep in advance. Do all the chopping, weighing and measuring before the actual cooking. If you do this, your experience will be more enjoyable, stress free and relatively easy to do.
Paella is not fattening, provided you include it as part of a balanced diet. Keeping track of your caloric intake is pivotal when you are trying to avoid weight gain. Just watch your portions!
Mixed Seafood and Vegetable Paella (Paella Mixtas con Mariscos y Vegetales)
Makes 6-8 servings
Preparation time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
8 garlic cloves, diced
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
3 cups clam juice
2 teaspoons saffron threads
3 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 Spanish onion, diced
1 cup of dry white wine
2 cups Arboro rice
1 ½ pounds of cod (cut into bite-sized pieces)
2 ounces of fresh Asparagus spears
1 (15 oz) can of sweet peas
2 cups fresh calamari (cut into 1-inch pieces)
12 uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined without tails
1 dozen clams
6 pieces of pimentos
If you have what Puerto Rican call a pilon (you may know it as a mortar and pestle), great; if not just use a bowl to grind up or mix cilantro, garlic and thyme to create a paste or mix.
Heat up clam juice in a sauce pan with saffron and paprika for about 10 to 15 minutes over a medium-low flame. You don’t want it to come to a boil.
Meanwhile in a 15-inch Paella pan, over a medium flame, brown fish in four Tablespoons of olive oil, for 1-2 minutes. Remove fish. Then add two tablespoons olive oil and onions to cook for five minutes.
Then add the cilantro, garlic, and thyme paste, followed by broth and wine to Paella pan. Mix together over a medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add rice and spread evenly within the pan. Then add cod. Stir and lower to a medium flame. Add asparagus and cook for 10 minutes, until rice is no longer soupy but enough liquid remains to continue cooking the rice.
Add peas. Arrange calamari, shrimp, and clams over the rice, placing edges of the clam shells so they open facing up. You can also add more liquid if needed. Add pimentos. Cook for 10-20 more minutes, until you hear rice sizzling (this is a sign that you’re creating that coat of burnt rice on the bottom of the pan.)
Remove pan from the heat and cover with cloth. Sit for 10 minutes.
Making a good Paella is easy; making a great Paella takes practice and time!
Buen provecho!
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