life of a travel photographer

Passport & Plate - Paella

Spain | Thursday, January 29, 2015 | flickr photos

Ingredients
HERB BLEND:
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice $
1 tablespoon olive oil $
2 large garlic cloves, minced $
PAELLA:
1 cup water
1 teaspoon saffron threads
3 (16-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth $
8 unpeeled jumbo shrimp (about 1/2 pound) $
1 tablespoon olive oil $
4 skinned, boned chicken thighs, cut in half $
2 links Spanish chorizo sausage (about 6 1/2 ounces) or turkey kielbasa, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 (4-ounce) slice prosciutto or 33%-less-sodium ham, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups finely chopped onion $
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper $
1 cup canned diced tomatoes, undrained $
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
3 large garlic cloves, minced $
3 cups uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain rice
1 cup frozen green peas
8 mussels, scrubbed and debearded $
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice $
Lemon wedges (optional) $

 

How to prepare this recipe
To prepare the herb blend, combine the first 4 ingredients, and set aside.

To prepare paella, combine water, saffron, and broth in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat. Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact; set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large paella pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; saute 2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan. Add sausage and prosciutto; saute 2 minutes. Remove from pan. Add shrimp, and saute 2 minutes. Remove from pan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion and bell pepper; saute 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, paprika, and 3 garlic cloves; cook 5 minutes. Add rice; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in herb blend, broth mixture, chicken, sausage mixture, and peas. Bring to a low boil; cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add mussels to pan, nestling them into rice mixture. Cook 5 minutes or until shells open; discard any unopened shells. Arrange shrimp, heads down, in rice mixture, and cook 5 minutes or until shrimp are done. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup lemon juice. Remove from heat; cover with a towel, and let stand 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

 

The story behind this recipe
In the summer of 2014, I traveled to Alicante, Spain with a study abroad company taking photos and videos of high school students learning about the spanish culture. One of their activities was to find the ingredients for Paella at the local super market, and with the help of their teachers, they prepared the dish from scratch using two extra large pans. Seeing how the paella was made taught me so much about how important the dish is to the spanish culture and made me want to explore other cultures even more.