Have only had this twice and it was so good, I'm going to have a go at making it. I know I need a proper paella pan so will get one. Can anyone recommend a recipe? Although we love seafood we will be cooking this for a non-seafood eater too so I'd love one like we had a while ago that had pork, chicken and chorizo in it. Can anyone help with a recipe? Thank you!
cookessentials,
May 9, 9:07am
2 cups (500ml) chicken stock 1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine 1 pinch saffron threads 2 chorizo sausages, thinly sliced 4 (600g) chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2cm pieces 1 red onion, finely chopped 1 red capsicum, seeded, finely chopped 2 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped 2 tsp sweet paprika 1 cup (220g) calrose rice 1 cup (150g) fresh or frozen peas Flat-leaf parsley leaves, to serve
Combine the chicken stock, wine and saffron in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside. Heat a large frying pan or paella pan over high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, turning occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a plate. Add half the chicken to the pan and cook, turning occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until brown and heated through. Transfer to the plate. Repeat with remaining chicken. Add the onion and capsicum to the pan and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion softens. Add the tomato and paprika and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic. Return the chorizo and chicken and stir to combine. Sprinkle over the rice and pour over the chicken stock mixture. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is almost absorbed. Scatter the peas over the rice and cook, covered, for 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately
cookessentials,
May 9, 9:08am
In Spain, paella ( pronounced pie aya) is served fromm the paella pan - it is often cooked outside and everyone sits around the huge pan and eats from it. Get a good quality carbon steel pan and season it before use.
oli3,
May 9, 9:25am
Thank you! Also - can you tell me, is paella not stirred while cooking? The ones I've seen look like they have cooked and not been stirred - does that make sense?
oli3,
May 9, 9:26am
Also - sorry if this is a dim question, but how exactly do you recommend seasoning a new pan?
cookessentials,
May 9, 9:39am
You do not stire them continuously as it can break down the rice. Obviously you would need to stire from time to time to incorporate ingredients etc. A good paellapan usually comes with a waxy coating - this helps protect it- people sometimes think it is scratched, but it is just the coating which helps the pan to stop rusting. This needs to be removed before seasoning. Remove by scrubbing with hot soapy water and then drying thoroughly before seasoning. Make sure you season it straight away using the following method:Apply a light coat of cooking oil (peanut or canola) using a paper towel to the entire inner surface of the pan including the sides. Do not use butter, olive oil or corn oil as it will not season your pan properly. Place your paella pan in the oven and heat to 180C. Leave the pan in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes until the entire surface of the pan becomes golden. Remember, it will be VERY hot, so protect your hands. Repeating the process will develop a good season. ALWAYS store your paella pan in a dry place and if you are not using it for a while, wrap in paper - either newspaper or similar will do.
cookessentials,
May 9, 9:40am
After cooking use, hand wash your pan with hot water. Avoid using any detergents as this will remove the seasoning and will cause your pan to rust. Dry thoroughly. Again, use a paper towel to apply a light coat of cooking oil to the entire surface of the pan and place over medium heat for a few minutes. Cool the pan and wipe off any excess oil before storage. Never put the pan in the dishwasher or microwave.
Over time with repeated seasoning and use, a dark non-stick film will develop on your pan and you will no longer need to apply oil before storing. The dark color is a sign of a well- seasoned pan.
cookessentials,
May 9, 9:43am
Traditional paella is cooked so that it has a crispy, caramelized, toasted bottom. Paella is made so the rice should be cooked low to the surface of the pan in order to make the best quality paella. The flavors are at the bottom of the pan and that's why the sizes vary larger in diameter than in height.
oli3,
May 9, 9:59am
Ok, so then is it important to use the right size pan for the right sized recipe? So what size should I buy? What size would I need for serving 4-6 and 8-10 people? And how many serves is the recipe above for? Thank you - this is really helpful! I am an experienced home cook but this is not something I have ever cooked before.
cookessentials,
May 9, 10:30am
34 cm for 4 people, 38cm for 6 people - so go for the bigger one of these two. If you are wanting too serve say 10 people, go for around a 46cm. The genuine Spanish pans are the best ones.
suzanna,
May 10, 3:14am
My daughter in law is Spanish and my son has lived in Spain for many years so Paella is always on the menu for us. Paella originated out of Vallencia as 'peasant food' and every area has it's own version. You can have just saffron and frozen peas right through to peas/seafood/chicken/ chorizo etc. We have a fire pit which we place a huge paella pan over and stir, talk, drink wine, stir some more, talk some more, drink more wine etc. There is an excellent shop in Tauranga where I buy paella pans at a very good price... Divine something I think it's called but the pans are good quality and a very good price. Once you have a good recipe that suits youthen you will love it and cook it for your visitors as well. Eat well and enjoy!
suzanna,
May 10, 3:26am
600 gms rice 500 gms mussels 200 gms prawns 300 gms chicken 250 gms pork chops 150 gms green beans 2 green peppers 1 red pepper 1 1/2 litres chicken stock saffron 1/2 tsp paprika 200 gms sweet pepper 1 large sqid 100 gms peas 1/2 cup olive oil 3 cloves garlic 4 lge tomatoes parsley salt
Wash the chicken and chops, clean mussels, peel prawns, wash squid and cut into rings. Peel and chop tomatoes, wash and cut peppers into strips, chop beans. Heat a cup of water in pan nd place mussels in to open them. Drain and save liquid. Simmer the prawn shells and heads in water for 15 mins, drain and save liquid.
griffo4,
May 10, 3:38am
Thanks suzanna and cooks l learn something new everytime l come here and also l now have more recipes to try Thank you both for the info on the pans and the origins of paella l have made it a couple of times in an ordinary pan but l will be looking for a proper pan to try out these recipes
suzanna,
May 10, 4:08am
Pt 2 Paella
Heat the oil, fry chicken, chops, add suid, peppers, tomatoes and green beans. lightly fry for 10 mins, add 1 cup stock that you reserved and cook gently. When the stock has begun to evaporate add rice and lightly fry for a few minutes stirring with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Cover with warm stock/water adding approx two parts stock to one part rice. Add peas, parsley, garlic, saffron, paprika and salt. Heat strongly for 10 mins, reduce heat. Place mussels, prawn sweet pepper cut into strips on the top of rice and simmer 8-10 mins. Remove from heat, rst and serve with lemon wedges. If you dont want to use prok the just use seafood or add chorizo etc. Enjoy!
gaspodetwd,
May 10, 5:06am
I got my paella pan from the kitchen shop in Merivale mall. Moderately priced and has been fabulous!
suzanna,
May 10, 5:20am
Expensive and not amazing quality.
oli3,
May 10, 8:15am
Thanks everyone! I'm looking forward to trying this soon!
cutezie,
May 10, 8:52am
I had Paella in spain many many years ago. We got pie eyed on cheap barcadi waiting for the Paella to cook, seemed like hours . Was to die forI would love to have a go at cooking it.
oli3,
May 15, 10:58pm
bump, might have a go at this today :-)
cookessentials,
May 16, 6:52am
So, did you make it?
cookessentials,
May 19, 1:52am
How did you get on oli3?
oli3,
May 21, 7:38am
Yes I made it, thanks! It was good for a first attempt but clearly needs some tweaking. I used a big heavy cast iron wok - not the best probably but its what I had, also the saffron that I was using was pretty old so it didn't go the cool colour I was hoping for. I will try out some of the other recipes and I think using a better pan would make a difference actually.
cookessentials,
May 21, 8:33am
Yes, I think the pan will make a vast difference.
oli3,
May 21, 9:37am
Thought so, was just too impatient to not have a go anyway!
cookessentials,
May 21, 10:12am
Aaaah, but you have made one now, so the next one will be a breeze!
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