What's the secret to great paella?
May 5th 2010, 1:35 pm
#31
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Re: What's the secret to great paella?
Ok, sit back and relax, unashamedly the best you'll eat, and has won accolades from Argintinia, UK, New Zealand and Spain. Also, not confined to the boring original. Get a paella pan, a weber or outside wood fire, good friends and lots of drinking wine - no toffee nosed stuff. Feeds 6 - 10.
Keep your modesty hat nearby for when you serve. Drop some oil in your medium heated pan and fry off 2 chopped onions, a green and red chopped bell pepper, 3 - 4 chopped chorizo sausages, chilli flakes to suit your taste, about 15-20 cocktail sausages, and about 6 - 10 chicken drumsticks. (the drumsticks can be grilled on the open fire, season with salt, pepper and paprika)Set the done chicken and cocktail sausages aside. Into the pan drop 2-3 cups of rice, fry off quickly to absorb the oils, and then add about a pint of hot chicken or vegetable stock. Parcook the rice, stirring about now and then. About 7 mins from ready add 800gms of cubed white fish and a cup or two of frozen peas. Cover with the weber lid for 5 mins, then add calamari rings, 16 half shell mussels, about 16 prawns, a handful of black olives.Cover again for about three to 5 mins until prawns turn pink. (Place the prawns, olives and mussells decoratively about the dish). Add the chicken pieces like the spokes of a wheel and drop the cocktail sausages in between. Squeeze some lemon juice over and finish with a spray of mixed herbs. Set in the middle of the table and serve with a breakable bread and salad. Sit back and accept the compliments gracefully.
Keep your modesty hat nearby for when you serve. Drop some oil in your medium heated pan and fry off 2 chopped onions, a green and red chopped bell pepper, 3 - 4 chopped chorizo sausages, chilli flakes to suit your taste, about 15-20 cocktail sausages, and about 6 - 10 chicken drumsticks. (the drumsticks can be grilled on the open fire, season with salt, pepper and paprika)Set the done chicken and cocktail sausages aside. Into the pan drop 2-3 cups of rice, fry off quickly to absorb the oils, and then add about a pint of hot chicken or vegetable stock. Parcook the rice, stirring about now and then. About 7 mins from ready add 800gms of cubed white fish and a cup or two of frozen peas. Cover with the weber lid for 5 mins, then add calamari rings, 16 half shell mussels, about 16 prawns, a handful of black olives.Cover again for about three to 5 mins until prawns turn pink. (Place the prawns, olives and mussells decoratively about the dish). Add the chicken pieces like the spokes of a wheel and drop the cocktail sausages in between. Squeeze some lemon juice over and finish with a spray of mixed herbs. Set in the middle of the table and serve with a breakable bread and salad. Sit back and accept the compliments gracefully.
However, I am hearing my Spanish OH already. "You cant put chorizo into a paella, the taste is too overpowering" and "dont mix seafood, fish and pork, everything will just taste of pork its a waste of good ingrediants" and "the stock should come from the whole chicken's carcus and the vegetables, dont cover up the taste of the good ingrediants with a packet of cheap stock".
So you haven't pasted a very Spanish recipe, but one to enjoy none the less
Oh and I dont think you can get coctail sausages in Spain? Maybe at a one of the British food stores
May 5th 2010, 2:35 pm
#32
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Re: What's the secret to great paella?
http://www.parati.com.ve/paella_mari...stas_y_arroces
May 5th 2010, 2:43 pm
#33
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Re: What's the secret to great paella?
There are loads of recipes that contain chorizo (do a search for paella and chorizo) and many that mix seafood with meat. ¡Sobre gustos colores!
http://www.parati.com.ve/paella_mari...stas_y_arroces
http://www.parati.com.ve/paella_mari...stas_y_arroces
Also it must have some socarrat at the bottom.......
Socarrat: see how Iam learning....
May 5th 2010, 2:53 pm
#34
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Re: What's the secret to great paella?
The socarrat is essential! 
Whenever I make paella it invariably has both fish and meat, and certainly chorizo!
May 5th 2010, 2:57 pm
#35
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Re: What's the secret to great paella?
Avoid the use of colourant in the food! The spanish love using Tartrazine in Paella to give it that deep yellow colour. Is should be done naturally with Saffron.
You see lots of tourists eating Paella that looks like part of dulux colour chart!!
http://www.ukfoodguide.net/e102.htm
You see lots of tourists eating Paella that looks like part of dulux colour chart!!
http://www.ukfoodguide.net/e102.htm
May 5th 2010, 3:05 pm
#36
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Re: What's the secret to great paella?
Talking about chorizo, I made a sandwich, with chorizo a la plancha (hot) with cheese, proper cheddar, with a beer fantastic.
As you can gather we are not purists in either Spanish or English food, mix it up and see what happens.
I also love a good brekkie of chorizo a la plancha, fried egg and grilled toms on a baguette.
May 5th 2010, 4:54 pm
#37
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Re: What's the secret to great paella?
I can imagine that snails would be used a lot in the old days. At my friend's home her Mother would go out in the morning and collect a basket full of them. Their snail dish was just with fresh cooked tomatoes reduced to almost a puree..they tasted wonderful (not the snails, ugh!) I just used to pretend to suck them. They also killed their own rabbits which went in paella type dishes. The dead rabbit would be hung out on the washing line all day! They were quite well off too, think they were still used to the campo ways of their parents. I always used to lose weight after a stay at their house.
May 5th 2010, 5:06 pm
#38
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Re: What's the secret to great paella?
I love rhubarb and custard (like school day), a friend used to give us some but they got destroyed by snails.
They used to give us the rhubarb because they had never seen it or eaten it before.
When I thought about it, I dont think that I know anyone Spanish who even knows what it is, never mind eaten it. The translation is ruibarbo, and some have heard of the word but have no idea what it looks or tastes like.
From what I believe it is not easy to grow in southern Spain.
They used to give us the rhubarb because they had never seen it or eaten it before.
When I thought about it, I dont think that I know anyone Spanish who even knows what it is, never mind eaten it. The translation is ruibarbo, and some have heard of the word but have no idea what it looks or tastes like.
From what I believe it is not easy to grow in southern Spain.
May 5th 2010, 5:20 pm
#39
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Re: What's the secret to great paella?
You can put almost anything in a Paella (so long as you don't forget the rice) but "cocktail sausages" - I think not!
Incidentally, so far no one has mentioned one very important ingredient of a "authentic" Valencian paella - garrofones.
These are like English butter beans and are traditionally included.
You can buy frozen ones in Mercadonna.
May 5th 2010, 6:33 pm
#40
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Re: What's the secret to great paella?
It's no secret! It is is fundamental for the chef to be a native from Valencia 
May 5th 2010, 8:12 pm
#41
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Re: What's the secret to great paella?
I generally find them much too heavy here,like a ton of lead on the stomach,maybe down to the type of rice and excessive amounts of oil.
Agree with Fred,you can chuck just about anything in a paella,(even the odd stray cat, lol)..had a couple of pigeon ones recently over at my Spanish neighbours.
May 5th 2010, 9:14 pm
#42
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Re: What's the secret to great paella?
Avoid the use of colourant in the food! The spanish love using Tartrazine in Paella to give it that deep yellow colour. Is should be done naturally with Saffron.
You see lots of tourists eating Paella that looks like part of dulux colour chart!!
http://www.ukfoodguide.net/e102.htm
You see lots of tourists eating Paella that looks like part of dulux colour chart!!
http://www.ukfoodguide.net/e102.htm
What is socarrat?
I love paella esp the seafood. Had a few while I was there.
May 5th 2010, 9:38 pm
#43
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Re: What's the secret to great paella?
Don't they use tumeric powder to get the yellow colour?
What is socarrat?
May 6th 2010, 6:16 am
#45
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Re: What's the secret to great paella?
[QUOTE=jackytoo;8544178]That one sounds good, wouldn't like to have to buy and cook it though
Thats what the friends are for, one bunch brings the chicken, next the seafood, others the sausage, then the wine ......etc, etc. The cooking is actually minimal, its all in the final presentation.
Thats what the friends are for, one bunch brings the chicken, next the seafood, others the sausage, then the wine ......etc, etc. The cooking is actually minimal, its all in the final presentation.
