Passport & Plate - Paella
Spain | Monday, March 2, 2015 | 2 photos
Ingredients
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, chopped into bite-size portions
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Spanish chorizo sausages, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 cups short grain Spanish rice
6 cups chicken broth
Generous pinch of saffron threads
1 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
Lemon wedges, for serving
Large paella pan or wide shallow skillet
How to prepare this recipeHeat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken, salt and pepper. Brown on all sides and cook thoroughly. Remove from pan and reserve.
In the same pan, saute the garlic. Add the rice, chicken broth, and saffron. Simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add the chicken, chorizo, shrimp, and red and green peppers. Let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom if the socarrat has not already formed.
Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with lemon wedges.
The story behind this recipeWhen I was in high school, I traveled to Spain with my school’s Spanish club. Our tour began in Madrid where we explored The Royal Palace, Museo Nacional de Prado, and Plaza Mayor. Plaza Mayor is an open square in Madrid where artists, street performers, musicians, flamenco dancers, tourists, and locals gather. The plaza is lined with historic buildings that offer restaurants and shops on the ground level.
One day when the touring and shopping worked up my group’s appetites, we decided to eat lunch at one of the outdoor cafés at Plaza Mayor. Time feels like it stops in the plaza; you can sit at a café and people-watch, socialize, and eat for what seems like forever. It was here where I ordered paella for the first time. Paella is typically a shared dish consisting of different regional variations of chicken, rabbit, chorizo, seafood, rice, saffron, and vegetables. Paella cooks for a long time in a wide, circular pan and it develops a light, crispy crust on the bottom. Paella is always made to order and the long wait time allows you to enjoy your afternoon chatting with your friends.
The closest Spanish restaurant to me is 50 miles away. It’s delicious, but since it is too far for me to go to regularly, I wanted to make paella at home. I bought a big paella pan and I blended a couple of recipes together to make paella for my friends. Four of us were in the kitchen cooking, talking, eating, and drinking sangria. We split the paella between us and enjoyed the feast.
My trip to Spain was my only abroad experience thus far. I love eating paella at home because it brings back my memories of shouting “Ole!” at a Madrid bullfight; hiking up the steep ramps of La Giralda tower in Seville; admiring the intricate detail of the Moorish tiles in the Alhambra; watching a flamenco show in a cave in Granada; walking along the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea in Malaga; and most of all eating my weight in tapas, jamón, churros y chocolate, and paella.
