Unleashing The Secret Recipe: Perfectly Delicious Paella

Paella is a well known Spanish rice dish and has many variations. Although nowadays it is commonly known to be cooked with saffron, vegetables, meats and seafoods, Paella was originally a field dish and not that of the sea i.e. it consisted of rabbit, snails, lima beans etc. that farmers had available on hand.

Below is my tribute to this amazingly flavorful one pan dish, with the ingredients I had on hand.

Yield: Serves 4-5

Difficulty Level: Easy

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups rice, washed and soaked

1 pound chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 cup green beans, cleaned and cut into 1 inch length

1 bell pepper, any color cut into 1 inch piece

1/2 cup frozen green peas

1 medium onion, diced

2 medium tomatoes, diced

2-3 garlic cloves, grated

1 inch ginger, grated

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

5-7 strands of *saffron, add to bowl of 1/4 cup warm water and let sit till ready to use

2 1/2 cups water or chicken stock

Instructions

Wash rice of starch in a large bowl of water until water runs clear. This requires several changes of water. Once the water is clear let it *soak in fresh clean water for 10 minutes.

Heat large wide saucepan on medium high heat, add oil and onions and sauté till translucent, about 2 minutes then add garlic and ginger and stir often to avoid garlic from burning and cook about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook till soft and broken down, about 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken and cook till half way done, stirring occasionally, about 5-6 minutes. Add the salt and paprika and cook till well blended, about 1 minute. Add the bell pepper and green beans, cook 1-2 minutes. Transfer the rice and mix well, about 1 minute to allow for a little roasting, then add the saffron with the water, along with the chicken stock. Stir till all combined and bring to a quick boil, cover, reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook about 12-14 minutes. Layer the shrimp evenly over the rice and sprinkle the green beans, cover and let simmer another 5-7 minutes, ensuring the shrimp is not overcooked. Turn off heat and let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

* Tips

1. Saffron is strong and robust in smell and flavor, and the fresher it is the less you need.

For optimal freshness store in its original container in the freezer where it will last a very long time i.e. a few years, however as with any spices the smell and flavor will begin to lessen over time. I've used a decent amount of saffron as I have kept the container in the freezer for a few years, and therefore needed to use a little extra.

2. Soaked Rice - when the rice is ready to use remove the water it was soaking in, give the rice one more quick rinse before adding to dish for cooking.