Paella

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.