A paella pan is needed for proper results. It is a wide, round, shallow pan with splayed sides. If you substitute a different pan, it needs to be wide enough for the ingredients to cook in a thin layer.
The correct rice is important, Paella, Valencia, Calasparra, Bomba, Senia, or Bahia. There are many who use rice that is easier to locate. The liquid ratio must be adjusted to compensate as the Valencia ratio is 3 parts liquid to 1 part rice.
Ancient paella recipes include rabbit and snails. I found lots of conflicting information on what should and shouldn’t be included. I used ingredients I could find and attempted to follow traditional Paella techniques.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 oz cubed pork loin
4 Chicken thighs, skinned de-boned, cut into bite sized pieces or left whole as desired
Smoked paprika and oregano
salt to taste
pepper to taste, 1 part black, 1/2 part white and 1/2 part red
1 onion, julienne
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced
generous pinch of ground thyme and oregano
6 oz of tomato frito, sofrito, or diced tomatoes
1 gram saffron threads
2 cups paella rice, careful with substitutions, bomba preferred
6 cups chicken stock
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled or not as desired
4 artichoke bottoms, cut into quarters, canned or steamed fresh
6 oz frozen peas
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
1 red bell pepper to be roasted
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
Steps:
Roast the red bell pepper over an open flame, allowing the outer skin to blacken, turning with a pair of tongs as needed to darken the entire pepper. Place in a plastic bag and allow to steam for at least five minutes until cool enough to handle. The blackened skin should easily peel off the roasted pepper. Peel off the skin and slice into strips. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a paella pan. Brown the pork and the chicken until dark brown. Season well with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and oregano.
Add the onions until soft and translucent, about five minutes. Do not brown. Mince the garlic with 1 teaspoon of parsley. Mix with the thyme and oregano. Add the garlic mixture to the pan, cook for 1 additional minute. Add the tomatoes, return to heat. Add the saffron, crushing the threads between your fingertips as you sprinkle in. Stir gently and allow the tomatoes to cook. Add the rice, mixing well. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to strong simmer, while gently mixing. Once this is mixed well, do not stir again. Strong simmer for about 15 minutes, then lay the shrimp and artichokes on top. Touch with the spoon to spread and submerge the ingredients, but don’t stir. Return to simmer for 5 minutes. Check the rice for doneness. Add additional hot stock if needed to fully cook the rice. Spread the peas over the top, shake the pan, but do not stir. Lay the julienne strips of red bell pepper over the top. If the heat and timing is right, there should be a toasty brown bottom called a sacarat. Increase the heat at the very end if you need to develop the sacarat.
Once the rice is fully cooked and you have a sacarat, remove from heat, sprinkle the chopped parsley over the top. Cover with aluminum foil for 10 to 15 minutes. Garnish with lemon wedges around the edges, then drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the paella to serve. Each portion should have a lemon wedge to squeeze if desired.
Nice! I just made Paella yesterday!