Paella!

Mmm travel photos. I love a trip down memory lane in faraway places. It was 2009 when I went through Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Mija and Costa del Sol with my family. Spain is beautiful. Spain is delicious! I just couldn't get enough of paella! Literally. When I finished my own giant order of paella, I'd somehow manage to scarf down whatever was left of my sister's paella! Little sister + little sister appetite = more for me! 

It's 3 years later, I still have yet to purchase a traditional paella pan, but finally decided not to let my lack of paellera get in the way of attempting this delight any longer. As usual, I turned to my trusty 10in Hamilton Beach aluminum non-stick covered chicken fryer, and sure enough, it managed to achieve socarrat, that golden crust of toasted rice at the bottom of the pan - Woo! This version was sadly made without any seafood at all so as not to scare Brian off (introducing a new dish + prawns, shellfish and other creepy sea creatures = hungry boyfriend). Good news is, he loved this paella! Which means I can start sneaking subtle amounts of ocean crawlers into my next paella! 

Serves 2-4

·                     1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

·                     Spices for chicken marinade: 

o    1/2 tsp ground pepper, 

o    1 tsp paprika

o    1 tsp oregano

o    dash of cayenne

o    1 tbsp vinegar (preferably apple cider vinegar because it helps the body's absorption of minerals from the foods we eat)

·                     150 gr prosciutto (sold in packages or at the deli counter)

·                     150 gr chorizo

·                     1 cup frozen peas

·                     4 cloves garlic

·                     1 sm onion

·                     1 sm bell pepper (any color)

·                     1 med tomato

·                     Fresh parsley

·                     Seasonings: salt, pep, paprika, and dash of cumin

·                     2 bay leaves

·                     1 1/4 cups uncooked long-grain white rice

·                     2 1/2 cups chicken broth (low-sodium for your heart's sake)

·                     Lemon wedges for garnish

Trim any fat off chicken breast and cut into bite size cubes. Add marinade spices to chicken and set aside.

Trim the larger pieces of fat from prosciutto and cut into bite size slices. Set aside.

Wash and prepare vegetables and set aside. 

o    Measure 1 cup of frozen peas and set aside to thaw

o    Mince garlic

o    Dice onion

o    Cut pepper into thin, 2-inch slices

o    Peel and remove seeds from tomato. Dice. 

o    Chop enough fresh parsley for a handful

Cut chorizo into small chunks (the kind I bought breaks away like ground beef).  Heat any 10-12 inch non-stick aluminum pan (as long as it has a lid) to medium-high. Add chorizo. Stir til cooked. Remove chorizo from pan, and set aside on paper towels to soak up fat.

Using chorizo dribblings (or if none left in pan, add a small amount of olive oil), add chicken to pan. Cook over med-high heat, turning so that chicken browns on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside with chorizo.

Using a small amount of olive oil, add garlic and onion to pan. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes til onion translucent.

Add tomatoes and cook for 5min. Sprinkle with salt, pep, paprika (generous), and a dash of cumin if available.

Add rice and let toast for a minute, stirring.

Add bell pepper, chicken broth, chicken, prosciutto, chorizo and stir to mix. Increase heat to med-high, bring to near boiling, reduce to low, cover, and let cook for 10min. If it looks dry early on, add a splash more broth.

Add thawed peas & parsley. Stir to mix. Cover and let cook over low for another 10min, or until all liquid is absorbed.

Remove from heat and let stand 5min before serving.

Garnish with fresh lemon wedges.


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Update posted April 27, 2012: Sneaky Scallops


Made paella! again with a few variations/additions: 

• used 2 tbsp dried parsley instead of fresh parsley (forgot to pick a fresh bunch up at the store)
• added the red stemmed bottoms of a bunch of red swiss chard (2 1/2 inch section, slicing each piece lengthwise into 3 thin strips)
• added 10 bay scallops (stir fried along with a bit of olive oil long enough to sear outsides

I asked  Brian after he requested and finished a second helping whether he noticed anything different... His eyes squinted instantly in suspicion, and said, no.... why? Needless to say, Operation Sneaky Scallops was a success!