Paella

Oh, how I hate not blogging! It's been almost a MONTH since I've posted. That is just not acceptable. Medical school has once again sucked the life out of me.  The brief hiatus from it this weekend has recharged my batteries and got me back to the blog.

Last time, I discussed my fabulous trip to Richmond.  Remember when I took that little trip to visit my oh-so-fabulous sister and future brother in law? Remember when we made that lemon cornmeal breakfast cake? Well, we also made paella.

For those of you that don't know what paella is, it's a spanish rice dish that's usually chalk full of seafood and chorizo. The key to the dish is saffron.  Yummy, right? It is most delicious. When I studied abroad in Spain, my "señora" would make this for us. Authentic paella! Can't beat it! I'm not a seafood person but clams, octopus, and crawfish mixed with rice and saffron (and a host of other spices) is pretty delectable. It also didn't hurt that I was eating it in Spain.

What I wouldn't do to be there again right now...

Our version wasn't quite as great as the authentic Spanish version but it was still pretty delicious. We just added the chicken and chorizo to ours (the recipe included amounts for various seafood, so feel free to add the seafood to yours, if desired).  Adding chicken seems to just dumb it down, doesn't it? Compared to paella with octopus, clams, and crawfish, chicken just doesn't seem to do it justice.

One of our biggest issues with this dish was the amount of it.  Halfway through the cooking process, we realized our pan wasn't big enough. We had to transfer half of it to a dutch oven. Transferring rice in the middle of its cooking basically dooms it from the start. We got a mushy pile of saffron rice... a very LARGE mushy pile of saffron rice. 

Overall, it was a pretty great dinner for what it was... A watered down, Americanized version of an incredible Spanish dish.  I will definitely halve the recipe next time though...and maybe lose the chicken.

I might even add octopus and clams if I'm feeling feisty...

(Because we were feeling multi-cultural, we decided to end the meal with wine and french macaroons... Not too shabby, I'd say.)

Paella (you can find the recipe here!)

1 (3 pound) frying chicken, cut into 10 pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Spanish chorizo sausages, cut into thick slices
Salt and ground pepper
1 Spanish onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
1 (15 oz) can whole tomatoes, drained, hand crushed
4 cups short-grain Spanish rice
6 cups water, warm
Generous pinch of saffron threads

Spice mix for the chicken:
1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
2 tsp. dried oregano
Salt and ground pepper

-Mix together the chicken spice mix and rub it over the chicken. Marinate for one hour in the refrigerator.
-Heat oil in a (very) large pan over medium- high heat.
-Saute the chorizo until brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
-Add the chicken, browning it on all sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
-In pan, saute onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat.
-Add the tomatoes, mixing until the mixture caramelizes and the flavors meld.
-Add in the rice and stir fry, coating the rice.
-Pour in the water and simmer for 10 minutes.
-Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron.
-Let the paella simmer, without stirring, until rice is al dente, about 15 minutes.
-When the paella is cooked and the rice look fluffy and moist, turn the heat up on high for about 40 seconds, or until you smell the rice toast on the bottom.
-Remove from heat, rest for 5 minutes, then serve.