Preparing paella is an interesting endeavour for any cook. This
dish does not really have a set list of ingredients but is
mostly a combination of different meats and vegetables. In fact,
the The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language,
refers to paella as a saffron-flavored dish made with varying
combinations of rice, vegetables, meat, chicken and seafood.
The meal is prepared in a pot - all the ingredients meld
together in the pot while cooking to create the dishes great
taste. This pot cooking is so closely associated with this dish
that it's name, paella means frying pan or pot in Old French and
Catalan languages.
Paella is a great dish to make if you want to clean out the
fridge and use up leftover meats and vegetables. Any combination
will eventually be great the secret is in the chemistry. Paella
is a dish that is generally made to feed several people.
Moreover, paella is quite flavorful the next day as the tastes
have had time to mix together and become stronger.
The secret to a good paella is being creative, therefore there
are many recipes one can follow. But since a recipe is not
necessary, nor desirable, the basic steps to creating this dish
are outlined below. It's up to you to provide the creativity in
ingredients to make the dish your own!
Making The Rice
You can use whatever kind of rice you like. A wild rice can add
interesting flavor and texture to the dish, but if you prefer
brown or white feel free to go with. Frying the rice as outlined
below will give it a nutty flavor.
Wash the rice and set aside Chop tomato, onion ad garlic Heat
olive oil in a skillet, and once the oil is hot (but not
smoking) toss in the rice Add the onion, garlic and tomato after
a minute or two
Stir until the onion, tomato and garlic are soft. Don't let the
rice mixture overcook - 3 to 5 minutes is plenty of time. At the
end of the cooking, you can spice it with whatever spices you
like. Some common spices for paella are saffron, salt and pepper
but you could add cayenne, cinnamon or any other herbs that you
and your guests prefer.
Remove the mixture from the burner and toss in some frozen peas.
Not too many as you don't want to overpower the rice but just
enough to add a little accent.
Preparing The Meat
In a frying pan at high heat, brown some pieces of chicken.
Upper thighs, drumsticks, breasts...it's all good. Do not cook
the meat completely but brown the outside. Once browned, set the
meat aside. Lamb can also add great flavor to your paella.
Combining The Two
The combining of the rice and meat mixtures is what makes the
paella such an interesting and flavorful dish. Cover the bottom
of the paella pan with the uncooked rice mixture. Add the
browned chicken pieces on top. Add uncooked Merguez (spicy lamb
sausages) and small fish filets rolled up and fastened with a
toothpick or string. Use any type of fish but make sure that its
flesh will hold well together. Pour some chicken broth on top
(if the broth is warm the cooking time will reduce). Note that
you can also add wine for more flavor. Cover the paella dish and
cook for about 45 minutes at 350F or until the rice is cooked.
At this point you can add raw shrimp or muscles and cook
uncovered for another five minutes.
And there you have it, an interesting dish with something in it
that is sure to please everyone!
About the author:
Lee Dobbins writes for
Online Gourmet
Foods where you can find more
recipes and dinner menus.
