Traditional Spanish Paella

Paella, the rice-based Spanish dish, is one of the most internationally known recipes. It is also very versatile, allowing many variations as long as two main ingredients are consistently present: Rice and Saffron. Other than that, this dish can really take many ingredients. Even the rice can be of any kind. I buy the medium or long grain that can be found at any grocery store, and it makes a fine paella.

Saffron, however, is another matter. I still remember an invitation to a paella cookout in California many years ago. Our hosts had prepared an outside burner, the typical paella cooking pan and a large array of “yummy” ingredients to add. When they started cooking they pulled out a container of “yellow #5” food colorant and added it to the pan. My husband and I instantly looked at each other and said: “ It is not paella.” I will leave up to you to consider the importance of real saffron when preparing a good, real paella. Saffron adds the typical yellow color to the rice, but it also adds its characteristic flavor.

I share with you my traditional recipe for Spanish paella, passed down for many generations in my family in Spain. With a little prep work at home, this recipe is great for a beach cookout.

Katalenas Spanish Paella al Fresco

Ingredients/utensils you may need to research and find in advance

You're going to need a paella dish, a shallow metal or clay pan, usually round. The other two ingredients to look for in advance are Spanish paprika, called “pimenton” and saffron. You can find both at LaTienda.com. ("La Tienda" means "the store" in Spanish.) Most paella dishes contain some kind of meat. I use chicken because everybody likes it, but you can add beef or Spanish chorizo (sausage), or a combination of both.

The ingredients and the preparation will list the chicken recipe first, as it must be cooked in advance. If you want to skip the prep work on the meat, chorizo can be added directly to the paella on the beach; simply cut into pieces.

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

• 1-lb of small chicken wing drumsticks
• 1/2 onion
• 1/3 of a green pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup of white cooking wine
• 2 tsp of Spanish paprika (pimenton)
• 3 tbsp of olive oil

For the Paella:

• 2 cups of white rice
• 5 cups of water
• 1 medium onion
• 1/2 green pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 carrot
• 1 lb of large shrimp, uncooked
• 1/2 lb of scallops
• 18 little neck clams
• 3 squid fillets
• 2 envelopes of saffron (or two teaspoons of powder saffron)
• 2 Knorr chicken bouillon cubes
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• Salt

Prep Work at Home

• In a medium saucepan, add 4 tablespoons of olive oil and heat for a few minutes. Add the minced onions, garlic and green pepper and saute for about ten minutes. Add the chicken drumlets and cover. Pour in one-quarter cup of white cooking wine, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 3 tablespoons of water and 2 teaspoons of Spanish paprika (pimenton) and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Allow the chicken to cool off, place in a container and refrigerate until ready to take to the beach.
• Clean and peel the shrimp (optional); rinse the scallops and cut the squid fillets in medium pieces. Add a few spoons of water and place in a separate container from the chicken. Refrigerate until ready to take to the beach.
• Clams may have sand inside, and I advise you to rinse them and place them in boiling water for just a few seconds until they open. As they start to open up, spoon them out of the water and place them in a container with a few spoonfuls of the cooking water and reserve in the refrigerator until ready to go to the beach.
• Do not discard the water used to cook the clams. It contains flavor from the clams and will be used later, when we cook the rice. You can strain it through cheesecloth or even a cloth napkin to remove impurities. Refrigerate. Later when I indicate to boil 5 cups of water to make the rice; you can use the clam’s water as part of it.
• Cut up the onion, bell pepper, garlic and carrot in small pieces and reserve. Refrigerate.

Preparation (at the beach)

• Bring 5 cups of water (including reserved water from cooking the clams) to a boil. Add the 2 chicken bouillon cubes and the saffron to the water.
• While the water is heating, place the paella dish on the fire and add a half cup of olive oil. When the oil is warm, pour in the cut vegetables, stirring occasionally and cooking until the onions are transparent.
• Add the cooked chicken, with all its sauce and vegetables. Stir in as it starts to warm up. Then add the raw fish (the mixture of shimp, scallops and squid) and stir frequently while it cooks. At this point the aroma of the fish, chicken, and vegetables will draw people toward the fire.
• After about 10 minutes, and while still maintaining a medium heat, pour in the rice. Stir it around until all the grains are wet with the juices from the other ingredients, just a couple of minutes. Then add the near-boiling water (with the saffron and chicken bouillon cubes melted in). Stir all the ingredients together for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Salt to taste and insert the clams throughout the paella. Simmer over low heat until all the water is absorbed and the rice is soft, about 20 minutes.

Good luck and Good Appetite!