This week… Who am I? My name is Ish. On my hand I have a dish. Paella is an ish dish which is why it is my dish. Stick with me on this one… You may like it. You will see….
Wannabe Foodie – what the hell are you talking about and what’s with the Dr. Seuss references?! A friend of mine suggested that I go in depth into one of my favorite dishes to make. I thought it was a great idea and it was an easy choice. There are few things I enjoy making more than Paella, and it is truly an ‘Ish’ dish. Nothing is exact. This much chorizo (ish), this much chicken stock (ish), and so on.
What is Paella? It’s a traditional Spanish rice dish flavored primarily with saffron. Actually, it’s Valencian, but let’s not split hairs. It’s traditionally made in a large, flat, shallow pan over an open fire.
The hardware. I have a 14” Paella pan (and yes, you foodies, I know that Paella means pan, so Paella pan is redundant. Let it go.). Here it is.
As you can see, it’s been well used. I bought it during our kitchen remodel and instantly loved it. It allowed me to cook one-pot meals outside on the grill. If you don’t have a Paella pan, a large cast iron skillet is a reasonable facsimile.
The recipe. I make a basic, rustic Paella. I’ve used chicken thighs, drumsticks, and wings. I like the wings best as they braise more during the cooking process than thighs or drumsticks and therefore break down more.
Ingredients:
2 cups of medium-grain Spanish rice.
2-2 1/2 quarts chicken broth or stock (ish). Make extra as you can always freeze it. I try to make my own if possible and lean more towards stock than broth as stock brings much more flavor to the dish.
2 pinches of saffron. Not huge pinches. This stuff is crazy expensive. Fortunately, you don’t need much.
1 yellow bell pepper, cut in ¼ to ½ inch cubes.
1 red bell pepper. Cut ½ of it into ¼ to ½ inch cubes, and ½ into slices.
1 medium yellow onion, diced medium
1 lemon, cut into wedges.
1 head of garlic, minced. Yes, a head of garlic.
1 cup of frozen green peas (thawed).
1 lb. of Spanish chorizo or linguica, sliced on the bias.
5-6 chicken thighs or drumsticks, or 10-12 wings.
2-4 Tbs. Olive oil.
Kosher salt
Black pepper (freshly cracked)
Optional – shrimp, mussels, lobster, etc. This is a Mothers’ Day paella, so I’m using spiny lobster! I par boiled the lobster in the chicken stock and cut it into 1 inch (ish) chunks. I suggest trying the basic chicken recipe before jumping into seafood.
The Mise en Place. A fancy French term for ‘get your &^%$ organized before you start cooking’. Ok, not really. It means ‘everything in place’, but it is generally defined as proper prep work. Bring the broth to a simmer and drop in the saffron. Let that simmer while you do the rest of your prep work. It needs at least a half hour to allow the saffron to open up. The broth also needs to be hot when it goes into dish. I move mine from the cooktop inside to the side burner on my grill or directly on the grill to stay hot.
Start your grill on high and place the paella pan on the grill. If you’re using charcoal, even better (though use chunk charcoal), and start your coals at this time. The paella pan needs to be rippin’ hot when it’s time to cook, so plan ahead. This can also be done inside on a cooktop with a big burner. It’s just not as much fun and you won’t get the grill flavor.
Chop and prep the ingredients, and you’re ready to head to the grill. Yes, I know that it seems like there’s no way all this food will fit in that pan. Trust me. It will.
Pour some olive oil into the pan and lightly brown the chicken pieces. Set them aside. Throw the diced (not sliced) peppers and onions in the remaining oil, light salt and pepper, and saute until they’re translucent. You don’t need to brown them, but some brown won’t hurt. Add the garlic and mix for a couple of minutes. Do NOT brown the garlic as it will impart a harsh flavor.
Add the linguica and stir for a minute or two. Add the rice and stir for a minute or two. Add the chicken, stir, and start ladling in the hot broth. Bring it almost to the top of the pan. Add a little more salt and pepper. Lay the red bell slices and lemons in the liquid in a sun burst – type pattern:
Bring to a boil. If your grill gets really hot, turn the heat down to medium and let simmer. I leave mine on high the whole time. After all, it's meant to be cooked over a fire! At this point, I often put wood chips into the smoker box in my grill to add a little smoky flavor.
Now comes the fun part. By now, you've noticed that you still have a fair amount of broth. Once the pan starts simmering, check it every few minutes. Once the broth has all been incorporated into the rice, you’ll need to ladle in more broth to bring it back to the top of the pan. Do this once or twice. Periodically try the rice. You want it cooked through, not dry, and not soupy. Like I said, this is an ‘ish’ dish. You need as much broth as you need.
Optional seafood note – when the rice is no longer crunchy and starting to get soft, you’ll likely be ladling in the last of the broth. This is the time to add the seafood as it only needs a few minutes.
Cook until the liquid has all but disappeared and the rice is cooked. Turn the heat off completely, pour the peas on top, and lay a tea towel over the entire pan. Close the lid to the grill and walk away for 5 minutes. Bring the dish to the table and enjoy. Use hot pads to carry and a trivet at the table as it is still rippin’ hot. Here's the final dish on the table:
Tell me that’s not a beautiful dish! It’s also absolutely delicious, particularly with some fresh bread and salad with a homemade vinaigrette. It’s loaded with flavors and makes you feel happy to eat it. Sure to impress your date or dinner guests!
The Wine. Martinelli's Apple Cider for Things 1&2 and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for the Red and WF.
For you Dr. Seuss Fans. Here is the entire “Ish” section from One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish: “Who am I? My name is Ish. On my hand I have a dish. I have this dish to help me wish. When I wish to make a wish I wave my hand with a big swish swish. Then I say “I wish for fish!” And I get fish right on my dish. So….if you wish to wish a wish, you may swish for fish with my Ish wish dish.”
Good luck with the Paella!
Questions or comments? Need help? Email me: renofoodiescott@gmail.com
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