There are as many paella recipes as people and tastes. None is right, none is wrong. It is subjective. There isn't a manual in Spain issued by the government telling us how to cook. Everybody spins the recipes with what they learn from their families, from others and from their mistakes. This is the paella my family cooked and it suits me well. It has been cooked like this for 4 generations. And it is tasty!
Ingredients (for 4 people):
* 3/4 cup of rice
* 12 shrimps
* 12 prawns (langostinos) -optional-
* 2 medium squids (calamari) cut in rings
* 12 mussels
* 12 clams
* 2 small boneless chicken breasts (or 1 big), diced
* 1/4 cup peas
* 1/4 cup roasted peppers, Goya has them available and probably the Italian section of your grocery store too
* 2 cubes of fish bouillon dissolved in 4 cups of water
* Pinch of saffron
* 1/4 cup tomato puree (crushed tomatoes or from a can, without additives)
* 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* Pinch of pepper
* Pinch of salt
* If available, a special non stick paella pan; if not, a shallow pan.
In a saucepan, heat about 4 cups of water and dissolve the fish bouillons cube. Keep the bouillon warm.
Clean the mussels and the clams, and boil them together in a another pot with salt and pepper, and reserve them for later.
In the paella pan, pour a little bit of olive oil, heat it, and then brown the garlic. When the garlic starts getting color, add the onion. Once again, when the onion starts getting soft and acquiring color, throw the tomato in the mix. This is called sofrito, the base of many Spanish dishes. Saute everything together for a few minutes and then add the squids, chicken, shrimps and prawns. Over medium heat, stir all together for about 5 minutes, until the shrimps are getting color. Then add the rice and stir 5 minutes more. Now it is the time to start adding the fish bouillon, starting with 1 1/2 cups. Bring it to a boil and after 10-15 minutes add the peas, the clams and mussels and the saffron. Keep adding fish bouillon as necessary until the rice is tender, rectifying the salt. Do not stir the rice if you want to achieve the typical crusty bottom of a paella. 5 minutes before taking the paella off the fire, add the red peppers on top. You need to cook the rice until is tender and the bouillon evaporates. Serve it with half lemon to squeeze over the rice.
Preparation time: about 2 hours (prep and cook)
In the paella pan, pour a little bit of olive oil, heat it, and then brown the garlic. When the garlic starts getting color, add the onion. Once again, when the onion starts getting soft and acquiring color, throw the tomato in the mix. This is called sofrito, the base of many Spanish dishes. Saute everything together for a few minutes and then add the squids, chicken, shrimps and prawns. Over medium heat, stir all together for about 5 minutes, until the shrimps are getting color. Then add the rice and stir 5 minutes more. Now it is the time to start adding the fish bouillon, starting with 1 1/2 cups. Bring it to a boil and after 10-15 minutes add the peas, the clams and mussels and the saffron. Keep adding fish bouillon as necessary until the rice is tender, rectifying the salt. Do not stir the rice if you want to achieve the typical crusty bottom of a paella. 5 minutes before taking the paella off the fire, add the red peppers on top. You need to cook the rice until is tender and the bouillon evaporates. Serve it with half lemon to squeeze over the rice.
Preparation time: about 2 hours (prep and cook)
