Paella is a popular Spanish dish. It originally appeared as a food for the poor. In the evenings, over an open fire, in a large saucepan called paella (paellera), the peasants cooked rice and added simple and affordable ingredients to it - vegetables, olive oil, leftovers from the catch. On big holidays or in especially wealthy families, chicken or lamb, smoked sausages could be added to paella. Therefore, there is no one, most correct recipe for this dish, we can only talk about regional characteristics. The most famous paella, Valenciana, such as it was prepared in the Spanish province of Valencia, is the home of this dish.
It is necessary
-
- 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 cups Arborio type rice
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 400 grams of peeled king prawns
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 250 grams frozen green peas
- 250 grams of frozen green beans
- 1 medium chicken, diced
- 400 grams of mussels
- 5-6 strands of saffron
- 1 large red bell pepper
- peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
- 2 cups oyster juice (liquor)
- pinch of red pepper
- Lemon for serving
- deep wide thick-walled frying pan
Instructions
Step 1
Place the saffron strings in a cup and cover with 1 tablespoon of hot water
Step 2
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, thick-walled, deep skillet, at least 30 centimeters in diameter.
Step 3
When the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces and brown it.
Step 4
Add the garlic and fry for another 30 seconds, not forgetting to stir.
Step 5
Add onion and bell peppers and sauté everything together, stirring constantly, for at least 1 minute.
Step 6
Add peas and beans. Add finely chopped, preferably mashed in a blender, tomato.
Step 7
Add all the spices, thyme and half the parsley and cook for another 2 minutes over medium heat.
Step 8
Pour in the saffron infusion, oyster liqueur and chicken broth.
Step 9
Sprinkle the rice in an even layer. Do not stir.
Step 10
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes. Don't stir paella! You can shake it gently and, if it seems to you that the liquid has been absorbed, but the paella is not ready, add a little hot broth or water.
Step 11
While the rice is cooking, prepare the mussels and shrimp. In fact, peeling the shrimp is not necessary, but it's more familiar.
Step 12
When the rice is almost cooked, add the shrimp and a sprig of rosemary to the paella. Keep on fire for a few more minutes.
Step 13
Turn off heat, place the mussels and the remaining parsley over the rice and cover.
The mussels will be ready in a couple of minutes. Remove the lid, remove the ones that have not opened, and serve the paella directly in the skillet with the large lemon cut into quarters.
