Paella is a saffron-flavored dish made with varying combinations of
rice, vegetables, meat, chicken and seafood. Spain and the Catalan
languages, paella means frying pan or pot. The traditional paella pan
is flat and of large diameter, it can also have handles on each side.
In fact, paella is one of the most versatile dishes to make. Paella
also has the advantage of being great to clean out the fridge and use
up leftover meats and vegetables. Any combination will eventually be
great the secret is in the chemistry. Spanish Paella is a dish that is
generally made to feed several people. Moreover, Spanish Paella is
quite flavorful the next day as the tastes have had time to mix
together and become stronger.
Here are three basic steps to follow to make wonderful Spanish Paellas
while leaving you the latitude to be creative and to make the dish
their own by customizing it to their taste.
1. Preparing the rice.
Select a type of rice that you are comfortable using. Feel free to
experiment but know that Spanish Paella contains a lot of ingredients
and if you are unhappy with the end result with a particular type of
rice, you might end up with a lot of waste. Basmati, brown or a mix
with wild rice can add great taste and texture. Follow the instructions
on the package with regards to washing and cooking the rice. Finely
chop some onion, garlic and tomato. Heat a saucepan and add olive oil
once the saucepan is hot (make sure that the oil does not start
smoking. Burnt olive oil is carcinogenic and quite unhealthy). Once the
oil is hot, throw in the uncooked rice. Frying uncooked rice gives it a
nutty taste. Let the rice fry in the saucepan for a minute or so. Add
the chopped onion, garlic and tomato until they soften, mixing
constantly. Spice with saffron, salt and pepper. Feel free to
experiment. Cumin, Cayenne various fine herbs or even a bit cinnamon or
cloves can easily be added for a flavoring of your own. This mixture
should not be on the stove for more that three to five minutes. At high
heat with constant mixing, none of the ingredients should stick but
they should mix well together and soften. Once all the ingredients are
combined, remove the saucepan from the burner and mix in some frozen
peas. Add enough peas to make a well balanced mixture.
2. Choosing and making 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 Spanish Paella.
3. Combination of it all
Cover the bottom of the Spanish Paella pan with the uncooked rice
mixture. Add the browned chicken pieces on top. Add uncooked shell fish
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 Spanish Paella dish and cook for about 45 minutes at
350 Fahrenheit or until the rice is fully cooked. At this point you can
add raw shrimp or mussles and cook uncovered for another five minutes.
In short, the secret to preparing the perfect Spanish Paella is to make it your own!
Learn how to make Spanish Tapas and Paellas the easy way by visiting my website http://www.spaintapas.com. Each month there is a new free spanish tapa and more to review received by newsletter!
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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