Paella is the perfect dish to make because it's easy, tastes great and it always impresses the good people you invite for dinner who don't cook as well as you do.
Here's how to make it.
1 Spanish onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, smashed w/ the widest part of your knife blade
.5 green pepper, julienned
.5 red pepper, julienned
1 Serrano chili, finely chopped
1 Portuguese chorizo, sliced into bite size pieces or double smoked bacon cut into bite size pieces
1 chicken breast, sliced into pieces and/ or
white fish, cut into chunks
2 tbs saffron, diluted in a touch of warm water
.5 cup of pitted black olives
3 mussels per person, cleaned and checked for beards. *note: of they are open when uncooked, toss aside. If they don't open when cooked, toss aside
fresh cilantro
1.5 cups long-grain rice
3 tbs olive oil
3 cups water
salt to taste
Heat olive oil in paella pan (if you don't have one, use a cast iron skillet or a pot with a lid.) When oil is shimmering, add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chorizo and cook for a few more minutes. Add the peppers and olives and sprinkle with salt to taste. When everything is properly mixed and coated with oil, add the rice.
Once the rice has mixed with all the vegetables, and add chicken (and fish if you are using it), saffron and water. Cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until a lot of the liquid has been absorbed.
Place mussels in a decorative fashion on top of the paella, and cover again until the mussels have opened, about 5-10 minutes. Cook uncovered for the last few minutes.
Serve topped with fresh cilantro and a bottle of the Terre Rouge Tete-a-tete. Comer bien!
My newest obsession is Branston Pickle. Put it on loosely scrambled eggs, a lavash cracker with some cheese or scoop it out onto a salad. This sweet and salty chutney is made up of carrots, cauliflower, rutabega, marrow (a type of summer squash) and dates combined with vinegar, lemon juice and assorted spices.
