Passport & Plate - Paella á la Mama
Spain | Friday, March 14, 2014 | 5 photos
I highly recommend a trip to your local market for the freshest and for me, best value seafood you can find.
Ingredients / Los Ingredientes
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 onion
4 handfuls of fresh garden peas
500g chunk of chorizo
6-8 fresh giant tiger prawns
1 kilogram of fresh smaller king prawns (you can buy these peeled and deveined or do the messy work yourself!)
1 kilogram of fresh mussels
2 cups of long grain rice
1 pinch of saffron
1 chicken stock cube
½ a teaspoon of Aeroplano spice (I have only ever found this in Spanish markets - it adds a deeper intensity of colour to your rice and contains a mixture of spices: turmeric, cumin and yes, even more saffron!)
How to prepare this recipe / Mama's Método
• Place paella pan on medium heat. Chop and fry chorizo.
• Add chopped onion and soften in chorizo juices.
• Add chopped green and red peppers. Sizzle for a further few minutes.
• Add 2 cups of rice to the paella pan and fry for 2/3 mins before adding a pinch of saffron.
• Next, add stock cube and Aeroplano to 4 cups of water and pour liquid into pan.
• Cover your paella dish with aluminium foil and allow rice to simmer for 5 mins.
• While this sits, wash and prepare mussels and also peel and devein smaller king prawns. Tiger prawns remain as they are.
• Next, bury tiger prawns in the simmering pan and also add mussels, peeled prawns and peas. Give your Paella a good mix. If necessary, add another dash of water. Cover your pan with the foil once more, then simmer until rice and fish are cooked through. This generally takes around 6 minutes.
• Leave Paella to stand for 5 minutes before serving – a warm temperature allows the contrasting flavours to emerge.
• My favourite part: serve! I like to add some sides of fresh rocket, pimento olives and sundried tomato bread.
Nicole's top tip: Serve with some fruity Sangria for an authentic Spanish evening.
The story behind this recipe
We Irish are not exactly renowned for our exotic evening meals, but this Paella dish is a jazzy explosion of colour, spice and texture, honed and perfected by my culinarily gifted mother (to us, "Mam").
As a lass, she moved to the sandy beaches of Fuengirola, Spain. It was here, amongst the chorizo and churros that her innate passion for food flourished, a passion which she in turn has instilled in me.
I always knew there was something a little bit special about Mam. In my friends' homes it was always the standard meat and two vegetables for dinner, but in our house it was a rich and varied menu of spicy curries, home baked breads, spaghetti carbonara, roast loin of pork, potatoes dauphinoise...the list goes on and on. However, of all of these savoury treats the most revered was always PAELLA.
Providing for a large family of eight (a small community in itself!) is no mean feat but I was always eager to help Mam fill the plates. To me, Paella encapsulates that sense of family and community, it symbolises a communal dish - relaxed and informal, yet tasty and delicious.
This Paella was the first meal I learned to prepare with Mam. Every time I recreate it, the yellow saffron infused rice, fresh tiger prawns and shiny mussels transport me to those bustling Spanish markets, with bursts of salt and endless beams of sun. Even the steely colour of the paella pan is inimitable, inextricably lending itself to the rustic nature of this dish.
Through this Andalusian delight, Mam opened my eyes to the strong cultural connection between people, food and identity, not just in the variety of food itself but how it is sourced, purchased, prepared and served. Paella captures the whole essence of Spain in one plate, and for me, it signifies the warm sense of culture and tradition of recipes handed down through the ages.
The version I present to you is by far my most tried and tested combination, Mam's classic recipe, a simple pleasure with deep roots.
Buen Provecho!
The instant I came across “Passport and Plate Italy”, I felt inspired to get involved and fulfil my dreams of becoming a food journalist, exploring and documenting the world’s cuisine.
Two of the things I am most passionate about are food and journalism but shockingly this is the first time I have attempted to combine the two and initiate the food blog I have been fantasising over for too long! My IPhone is chock-full with snaps of pad Thai, seafood chowder, sizzling steak and pages of recipes.
Yet the most appealing aspect of this scholarship for me is the sense of adventure - I have never been to Italy before and yearn to experience the world renowned Italian palate. Some of my extended family lives just outside Bassano Del Grappa and although their petite portions would leave my tummy rumbling, their talk of “real” pesto, rich red wine and fresh ravioli would make even the driest mouth water.
I feel a natural affiliation with “The Anthropologist” and understanding the real story of the people behind the food. Italian food is deeply connected to family and bringing everyone to the table, this is something I have always known in my household and I would cherish the opportunity to share this experience with an Italian family.
I have always been a naturally curious and expressive person and combining this with my studied journalism skills, I feel I could create a fascinating and engaging travel video, which will hopefully inspire others to journey to Italy and see it all for themselves.
