marubozo
07-05-2012, 11:48 PM
While I've made it before indoors in small batches for just the family, this week was the first time to try a full paella party and entertaining about a dozen people. Thankfully the Weber had my back.
And sorry, I didn't take pics throughout the process and only shot the end result, but a recipe outline follows.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7488236222_c0782c2414_o.jpg
Now, the thing with paella is that there's no ultimate and perfect recipe. There are so many things you can do and so many variations on the dish that it's best if you just go with instincts and use quality ingredients. However, there are probably three rules to follow if you want to make it foolproof:
1. Use the proper rice. Bomba if you can find it.
2. A flavorful broth.
3. The proper broth to rice ratio.
If you can manage those, it doesn't matter what you put into the paella, it will turn out pretty darn well. To go one step further, take the extra time to get some authentic Spanish ingredients like Spanish paprika, saffron, olive oil, and piquillo peppers.
Otherwise, the recipe is fairly simple.
First, add some olive oil to a paella pan that's been getting good and hot over your favorite grill. Charcoal, or hardwood fires are best since this is more traditional and some of the smoky flavor imparts itself into the dish.
If you're using chicken or raw chorizo, now is the time to brown it. In my case I used chicken thighs and Spanish chorizo and browned them at the same time for about 10 minutes. Once browned, pull the meat the set aside.
From here you can go ahead and toss in your onions and red peppers. I used about a cup of each. Onions chopped, peppers sliced. Then move them around until softened. Then add about 4-5 cloves of chopped garlic and let that infuse the oil but being careful to not let it burn.
When the garlic is done you'll add about 4 peeled and crushed tomatoes. Canned is fine if that's what you have, but in the summer I just cut tomatoes in half and run them over a coarse box grater. This turns the inside of the tomato into a pulp while leaving the skins out. With the tomatoes added, let it reduce down for about 10 minutes until it thickens and you have more of a tomato paste consistency.
Now the fun part. Add the rice and stir to get it all coated. Next it's time to add the stock. When I use Bomba rice I shoot for a 3 to 1 broth to rice ratio. That tends to be about the perfect absorption while leaving the rice al dente and giving some crust on the bottom of the pan. If you use other rice you'll want to find out what the best ratio is to cook it properly.
Once the broth is added I'll stir it around a bit and add the green beans and calamari. Once it begins to simmer I'll drop in clams and/or mussels around the edge of the pan. At this point there is no more stirring of the rice. Now it sits and cooks for about 20 minutes. If you're adding shrimp or lobster, you'll want to wait until there's very little liquid showing on the surface and then nestle them down into it. At this point you've probably only got a few minutes to go so the shrimp will just sit on top for a few minutes a side to get just cooked through.
When the liquid is pretty much gone and you've sampled a spoonful of rice to make sure it's done, off the grill it goes and then cover it with foil and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Then everything should firm up perfectly. And there you have it, some amazing paella.
I mentioned at the beginning to start with a flavorful broth, and that's really important. A good Spanish rice absorbs a ton of liquid, and that means flavor. So the better the flavor of the broth, the better the dish. So if you've got homemade chicken or seafood stock, by all means this is a time to use it. If not, don't skimp and buy some quality stock at the store. What I usually do is since I like to serve a few lobster tails I'll poach the tails in the chicken stock with a little saffron for a few minutes until the tails are about 80% cooked. This flavors the broth, and then the few minutes at the end on the paella cooks the tails through.
In summary, there's no single holy grail recipe out there for paella. Search for recipes 100 times, and you'll get 100 different variations. But if you start with quality ingredients, follow the basic process, and get the right amount of liquid to your rice, you can add pretty much anything you want to the dish and it will likely turn out amazing.
It may not be traditional barbecue, but it's incredibly delicious and your guests will think you're amazing. :mrgreen:
And sorry, I didn't take pics throughout the process and only shot the end result, but a recipe outline follows.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7488236222_c0782c2414_o.jpg
Now, the thing with paella is that there's no ultimate and perfect recipe. There are so many things you can do and so many variations on the dish that it's best if you just go with instincts and use quality ingredients. However, there are probably three rules to follow if you want to make it foolproof:
1. Use the proper rice. Bomba if you can find it.
2. A flavorful broth.
3. The proper broth to rice ratio.
If you can manage those, it doesn't matter what you put into the paella, it will turn out pretty darn well. To go one step further, take the extra time to get some authentic Spanish ingredients like Spanish paprika, saffron, olive oil, and piquillo peppers.
Otherwise, the recipe is fairly simple.
First, add some olive oil to a paella pan that's been getting good and hot over your favorite grill. Charcoal, or hardwood fires are best since this is more traditional and some of the smoky flavor imparts itself into the dish.
If you're using chicken or raw chorizo, now is the time to brown it. In my case I used chicken thighs and Spanish chorizo and browned them at the same time for about 10 minutes. Once browned, pull the meat the set aside.
From here you can go ahead and toss in your onions and red peppers. I used about a cup of each. Onions chopped, peppers sliced. Then move them around until softened. Then add about 4-5 cloves of chopped garlic and let that infuse the oil but being careful to not let it burn.
When the garlic is done you'll add about 4 peeled and crushed tomatoes. Canned is fine if that's what you have, but in the summer I just cut tomatoes in half and run them over a coarse box grater. This turns the inside of the tomato into a pulp while leaving the skins out. With the tomatoes added, let it reduce down for about 10 minutes until it thickens and you have more of a tomato paste consistency.
Now the fun part. Add the rice and stir to get it all coated. Next it's time to add the stock. When I use Bomba rice I shoot for a 3 to 1 broth to rice ratio. That tends to be about the perfect absorption while leaving the rice al dente and giving some crust on the bottom of the pan. If you use other rice you'll want to find out what the best ratio is to cook it properly.
Once the broth is added I'll stir it around a bit and add the green beans and calamari. Once it begins to simmer I'll drop in clams and/or mussels around the edge of the pan. At this point there is no more stirring of the rice. Now it sits and cooks for about 20 minutes. If you're adding shrimp or lobster, you'll want to wait until there's very little liquid showing on the surface and then nestle them down into it. At this point you've probably only got a few minutes to go so the shrimp will just sit on top for a few minutes a side to get just cooked through.
When the liquid is pretty much gone and you've sampled a spoonful of rice to make sure it's done, off the grill it goes and then cover it with foil and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Then everything should firm up perfectly. And there you have it, some amazing paella.
I mentioned at the beginning to start with a flavorful broth, and that's really important. A good Spanish rice absorbs a ton of liquid, and that means flavor. So the better the flavor of the broth, the better the dish. So if you've got homemade chicken or seafood stock, by all means this is a time to use it. If not, don't skimp and buy some quality stock at the store. What I usually do is since I like to serve a few lobster tails I'll poach the tails in the chicken stock with a little saffron for a few minutes until the tails are about 80% cooked. This flavors the broth, and then the few minutes at the end on the paella cooks the tails through.
In summary, there's no single holy grail recipe out there for paella. Search for recipes 100 times, and you'll get 100 different variations. But if you start with quality ingredients, follow the basic process, and get the right amount of liquid to your rice, you can add pretty much anything you want to the dish and it will likely turn out amazing.
It may not be traditional barbecue, but it's incredibly delicious and your guests will think you're amazing. :mrgreen: