We had to visit my sister in the hospital who was ill (she
is better now). Since we were near Harbor City we decided to visit a Spanish
Market: La Espanola Meats. They have a wide variety of imported Spanish
products. Being there reminded us of Paella and we decided to make a Paella. We
used the recipe for Paella with Shellfish and Artichokes from The
Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert. This is a very good recipe. We
really enjoyed the depth of flavors.
We started the meal with a Tomato, Burrata and Pesto Salad.
Paella with Shellfish and Artichokes
The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen
Paula Wolfert
I created this paella recipe after visiting Alicante in
southern Spain. It's not nearly so daring or inventive as some of the "new
paellas" being served in Spain today, but it's been much appreciated when
I've served it to my guests. I prepare it with fresh tuna, shrimp, mussels, and
artichokes simmered in a saffron and paprika-infused broth, using time-honored
paella cooking techniques.
Serves 8
1 red
bell pepper
Fine sea
salt
1 pound
tuna steak, cut into 1 inch cubes
8 large
shrimp
1 large
ancho chile
1/3 cup
dry white wine
1 pound
mussels, scrubbed and debearded
Freshly
ground pepper
5 tablespoons
extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons
coarsely chopped garlic
1-1/4 cups
canned diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons
Spanish smoked pimenton or sweet paprika
2 pinches
of saffron threads
6 to 8
cups fish stock, or 2 packages (8 ounces each) frozen fish fumet diluted with 4
cups water
1 package
(9 ounces) frozen artichoke hearts, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 scallions,
cut into 1-1/2-inch lengths
2 cups
short- to medium-grain rice, preferably bomba
2 tablespoons
chopped flat-leaf parsley Lemon wedges, for serving
1. Roast the
red bell pepper under a preheated broiler, turning, until charred. Transfer the
pepper to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let steam for 5 minutes.
Peel the roasted pepper, discarding the core, ribs, and seeds; cut the pepper into
i-inch pieces.
2. Salt the
tuna cubes and the shrimp and let stand for 30 minutes; pat dry with paper
towels. Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl, cover the ancho chile with I cup
boiling water and let stand until softened, about 20 minutes; drain. Discard
the stem and seeds and coarsely chop the chile.
3. Bring the
wine to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the mussels, cover, and cook over high
heat until they begin to open, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer
the mussels to a bowl. Pull off and discard the empty top shells, leaving the
mussels on the half-shell. Season the mussels with pepper and cover with foil;
reserve the cooking liquid.
4. Heat 2
tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the chopped ancho chile
and the garlic. Cook over moderately high heat until the garlic is golden,
about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, pimenton, saffron, and 1 teaspoon salt and
cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes, stirring. Transfer to a food processor
and puree to a coarse paste.
5. In a
medium saucepan, bring the fish stock to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low,
and maintain at a simmer. In an 18-inch paella pan or a very large skillet,
heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the tuna and shrimp and cook
over moderately high heat, tossing, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to
a plate and cover. Add the artichokes and scallions to the pan and cook over
moderately high heat for 1 minute. Add the ancho-tomato paste and cook,
stirring, for 1 minute. Add 4 cups of the fish stock, the reserved mussel
cooking liquid, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.
6. Scatter
the rice evenly into the pan and stir. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook for
7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until the liquid has
evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add another 3 to 3-1/2 cups of simmering stock
and cook, shaking the pan and rotating it for even cooking, until the liquid
has evaporated again, about 10 minutes longer. Just before the rice is done,
during the last 10 minutes of cooking, gently press the roasted red pepper,
mussels, shrimp, and tuna into the paella with the back of a spoon. Continue
cooking, shaking the pan, until the rice is just tender but still a bit moist.
7. Remove the
pan from the heat and cover with a kitchen towel or paper towels and a foil
tent. Let the paella rest for about 10 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the
parsley, and serve with lemon wedges.
Notes: Bomba rice produces the most delicious paellas
because each grain has the ability to cook up plump and creamy after absorbing
a maximum amount of flavorful liquid. An excellent paella can also be made
with other short- to medium-grain rices from Spain, California, and Italy. But
if you decide to go "the full bomba," remember that a cup of dry
bomba rice requires 3 cups liquid; a cup of short- to medium-grain rice
requires only 2 cups liquid.
I save shrimp peels in the freezer. When I want to make a
fish stock, I defrost then bake the shells in a very slow oven (200T) for about
1-1/2 hours. I crush the shells to a powder and use it to flavor stock for
paellas and arroces.
I imbue my kitchen-cooked paellas and arroces with an
outdoors wood-smoke flavor by adding some pimenton de la Vera, paprika from
Spain's western region, Extremadura. This smoky, brick-red paprika has a warm,
rounded flavor. It is produced by drying and smoking mature red peppers over
oak fires, then stone-grinding them to a smooth powder almost like talc.
A good, dry paella is ideally cooked in a proper paella
pan—a two-handled, wide, shallow, flat-bottomed pan with sloping sides. This
type of pan allows liquid to evaporate quickly while the rice cooks, uncovered,
over low heat. As an alternative, you can choose a very wide and shallow
skillet.
