Paella!

Paella!

 

I recently bought a large Paella pan, so I was keen to try it out on the Foodies.

I've always loved Paella, particularly the rich garlicky ones I used to eat at my favourite Spanish restaurant in Oxford Street in Sydney. So the magic of a good Paella has always stayed with me, but it was years since I've made one. Probably the last time was about ten years ago.

So, I was a little apprehensive. That sent me checking out recipes for Paella, and I discovered that there are almost as many variations for Paella as as there are those who make them. Stir the rice, don't stir the rice....only cook on top of a stove, bake in the oven, cook in a barbecue. Oh boy, my head was swimming. It became very confusing!

I tried a couple of small Paellas for myself the weeks before and soon realised that I needed to cook the Paella without fear – and to be comfortable in using my own approach to it.

Of course, the quality of the ingredients was very important, which meant using a genuine Paella Rice, very fresh seafood and free range chicken. Oh yes, and good quality saffron threads and smoked Spanish paprika.

I soon found out that you can't buy Paella or Spanish rice at the supermarket, so I finally tracked it down at our Deli in Berry. Three times as expensive as arborio rice, but I think it was worth it. I'd used arborio in my first attempts, and it was good, but it wasn't as successful as the Bomba Paella Rice I used.



Chere working on the Paella

Here is my recipe, though I'd advise you to just   use the basic principals you'll see repeated in any Paella recipe, then.....be brave and add your own touches.

Chere
                                       

This recipe is enough for eight.

Ingredients:

for the stock:

6 cups of good stock,(chicken or vegetable)
1 whole onion (I left the skin on because I like the   colour this gives)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon of saffron strands

for chicken thighs:

5 boneless chicken thigh fillets, cut into large bite-sized pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
grated zest of one lemon
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika

plus:

1 chorizo sausage, sliced

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

3 cups Spanish rice such as Bomba or Calasparra (use arborio if necessary)

20 fresh mussels, bearded and scrubbed

24 green prawns, shelled, heads removed, tails on

(you could use whole unshelled prawns with heads on, but as I didn't have a lot of room for finger dipping bowls for sticky prawn fingers, I decided to shell and de-head them)

(you could use snap frozen whole green prawns)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 whole fresh squid, cleaned and scoured and cut into small pieces, marinated in a little lemon juice (or white wine vinegar), white pepper and a little olive oil

(cleaning whole squid can be quite a challenge, so you could buy fresh or frozen squid rings and use them)

½ cup dry white wine

red and yellow peppers, oven roasted, skin removed and chopped into pieces

3 ripe tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped

½ teaspoon saffron threads, soaked in 3 tablespoons of hot water

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 cup of chopped flat-leaved parsley

2 cups fresh or frozen baby peas (leave out of freezer for at least an hour before)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

* Marinate the chicken pieces in smoked paprika, garlic, lemon zest, black pepper and olive oil for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight (as I did).

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (I decided to use the oven for part of my paella cooking, as this made it easier to talk to guests, finish the salad and slice the warmed bread. Otherwise I would have had to use 3 hotplates for my big pan.

* Heat the stock, (chicken or vegetable) with the saffron, smoked paprika and whole onion. Simmer, lid on, for 15 minutes, then discard the onion. You should have 5½ cups of rich stock to use.

 

* Heat the non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add some olive oil, brown the chicken and remove to a warm platter.

* Brown the sliced chorizo in the same oil (until caramelised) then set aside.

* Once again using the same oil, (add extra if necessary) add the chopped onion and
sauté until you can see it becoming translucent. Add the garlic and cook a little longer, without burning. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat well. Add the white wine and allow to cook for a couple of minutes, then add the very hot stock and tomatoes. Bring to the boil and cook, uncovered stirring occasionally, over medium high heat for approximately 10 minutes.
 * Add the chicken pieces, chorizo, prawns and mussels, with the edges that will open facing up.

* Bake for 15 minutes at 200º, then add squid pieces and sliced red and yellow peppers and bake for a further 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven, check seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary, add peas and sit the pan on the stove, lightly covered with foil for about 8 minutes. When ready, cover generously with chopped parsley and.....voila!



Kimella, Frances, Lesley, Colleen, Chere and Kim

I'd bought a lovely cob of whole grain sour dough bread, which I dampened with water and heated in the oven while the Paella was resting.

I made fresh garlic aioli the day before, and also served that with the Paella, along with a salad of freshly picked rocket leaves and cos lettuce (from my garden), with baby tomatoes, earlier oven-roasted pine nuts and pistachio oil dressing.

 

Dessert:

Rose water and maple crème caramel with warm orange rhubarb, thick cream and pistachio fairy dust

 

 

Caramels (to make 6):

¾ cup caster sugar

¼ cup water

¼ cup extra caster sugar

3 eggs

2 egg yolks

1½ dessertspoons rosewater

½ dessertspoon natural maple extract

1½ cups pouring cream

2 cups milk

pinch of salt

 

Combine ¾ cup caster sugar and ¼ cup water in a saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and boil without stirring until the mixture is a caramel colour. Pour the caramel into 6 small oven proof ramekins.

 

Whisk whole eggs, extra yolks, the remaining ¼ cup caster sugar, rosewater, maple extract and a pinch of salt until combined. Combine milk and cream in a saucepan and bring just to the boil. Whisk the cream and milk mixture into the egg mixture, then pour evenly into the ramekins.

Place the ramekins into a large baking dish and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides. Bake at 160ºC for 30 to 40 minutes, or until custard has set. (Remember that all ovens are different, so keep a close eye on them after 30 minutes.)  Remove the ramekins from the baking dish, cool to room temperature and refrigerate overnight.

Orange and Maple Rhubarb:

40g unsalted butter, chopped

bunch of rhubarb, (remove leaves!), trimmed and cut into 7cm lengths

½ cup caster sugar

splash of natural maple extract

juice of half an orange

Melt butter in a frying pan, add sugar, maple extract and orange juice and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add rhubarb and cook over low heat for 7 minutes, or until rhubarb is soft.

I had the rhubarb made and put it into the oven (which was left on low) after I'd warmed the bread.

Pistachio Fairy Dust:

¾ cup) caster sugar

¼ cup water

50 g (1/3 cup) shelled and chopped pistachio nuts

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat and boil without stirring until it is a caramel colour. Remove from heat and when bubbles subside, stir in the nuts. Pour this mixture onto a sheet of baking paper and allow to cool until hard. Break into pieces and place in a food processor (with cutting blade) until finely ground.

                                                           

 

                                                                  

Christine eating one of her gorgeous chocolates

We also enjoyed Christine’s home-made chocolate-coated prunes, some delicious coffee from Kim’s super coffee machine and a wee splash of Macadamia Liqueur from Mountain Ridge Wines nearby.

Christine's recipe:

 

Chocolate coated almond stuffed prunes

As many prunes as you want and an equal number of almonds

Some brandy or port

Good quality, dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)

Soak prunes overnight, or longer, in some brandy or port.

Toast the almonds to enhance their flavour.

Stuff prunes with almonds – does not matter if you tear the prunes as chocolate coating will seal any holes.

Melt chocolate slowly in double boiler or microwave (if you know how without seizing the chocolate).

Dunk a prune into the chocolate to coat and place on some baking paper to set. Repeat, spacing the prunes apart so that they don’t stick to each other.

If desired, top each chocolate with some toasted slivered or chopped almonds.

To speed up the setting process place a tray of the dipped prunes in the fridge for a few minutes.

Serve with coffee. YUM!