Author Topic: An Authentic Paella Recipe?  (Read 26924 times)

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Offline Smokin Don

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An Authentic Paella Recipe?
« Reply #-1 on: April 06, 2016, 12:25:02 PM »
Paella Valencia

1 pound mussels, in the shell
1 pound small clams, in the shell
½ cup olive oil, or more if needed
2 pounds chicken thighs
½ pound pork butt cut in ½ inch cubes
2 yellow onions sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
1 cup smoked ham, ½ inch cubes
1 cup Spanish chorizo
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
2 cups Uncle Ben converted rice
3 cups chicken stock
1/8 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
2 Tbs. annatto oil (optional)
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt to taste
½ cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup dry white wine

Garnish; Lemon slices

With a paring knife or a pair of pliers trim or pull off the fuzzy beard from the mussels. Rinse the clams and mussels well and soak in cold water for an hour. Drain leaving any sand behind.

Heat a 15 inch paella pan or large frying pan. Add a half cup of olive oil and brown the chicken until brown on all sides. Remove the chicken and set aside. Brown the pork the same way, remove it from the pan to the chicken plate and leave any oil behind.

Reheat the pan and add in the onion, garlic, ham cubes and chorizo. Sauté until the onion is clear then add the red pepper slices. Cook for a moment then remove from the pan leaving the oil in.

Reheat the pan on medium and add in the rice. Stir until the grains start to color a bit. You may need to add oil at this point. Now add the chicken and pork and the vegetable mixture with the ham and chorizo.

In a sauce pan bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the saffron, paprika, salt and annatto oil if using. When the ingredients are hot pour into the paella pan. Turn the heat up a little and bring all to a boil. Reduce to medium and cover, continue to cook about 8 minutes turning the pan some.

Stir in the wine and add shrimp, clams and mussels hinge side down; be sure and push the clams and mussels down into the rice. Sprinkle the peas on top and continue to cook covered until clams and mussels are open and the rice is tender.

This takes a while to prep, assemble and cook so allow plenty of time.





I have made paella at least a half dozen times; but not lately. Twenty years ago our daughter took a group of high school Spanish students on a trip to Spain and my wife went along. They brought me a large tin of saffron that cost $45 there, at least double that here.  It made some good paella, and paella without saffron isn’t as good. I never used the annatto oil that I remember.

I made it one time with some clams but several didn’t open and I didn’t think they were very good. It’s hard to get good clams or mussels here in Ohio. After that I just used shrimp and for the pork and ham I used about a half pound of capicola. The recipe makes a lot so you need a large pan. I always used a 14 inch deep skillet I had and it was full. The recipe is pretty versatile and you can use any seafood for good paella. My daughter said mine was better than what they had in Spain.


The recipe is one of Frugal Gourmet’s. I just ordered a 13 inch paella pan and some saffron so I will be making this soon. I thought I would go ahead and share the recipe for anyone that wants to try it. Those living near the coast or gulf should be able to get good seafood to use.

Update: I should have read wiki first, looks like authentic Valencia paella was made with rice, green beans, white beans and snails! So I guess the recipe is a modern version but sounds better to me!

Here is a link on cooking technics, indoor and outdoor. https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Paella_Cooking_Techniques
« Last Edit: April 06, 2016, 01:12:33 PM by Smokin Don »
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Offline ACW3

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Re: An Authentic Paella Recipe?
« on: April 06, 2016, 09:41:17 PM »
Bookmarked!!  Thanks, Don.

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Offline drholly

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Re: An Authentic Paella Recipe?
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2016, 12:11:31 AM »
When I traveled in the Americas, I had some very good friends in Costa Rica. It was "our tradition" that on the night before I returned to the States we would meet in one of the back yards and cook up a Paella and have a party. This usually resulted in me almost missing my flight in the morning... ???

While a paella is a bit ( ??? ) of work - it is really considered a backyard food in many countries. Usually cooked over a live fire, just a good meal, not considered "fancy." The paella is not only the meal, but also the pan - it is to Latin cooking as the wok to Oriental. A paella was as much a pan, meal as party for us. Many wonderful memories!

Don, your recipe looks delicious. As you say, without saffron it just isn't right. While expensive, saffron MAKES the paella. Thanks for this and I have bookmarked for some summer parties.

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Offline Smokin Don

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Re: An Authentic Paella Recipe?
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2016, 12:55:47 AM »
When I traveled in the Americas, I had some very good friends in Costa Rica. It was "our tradition" that on the night before I returned to the States we would meet in one of the back yards and cook up a Paella and have a party. This usually resulted in me almost missing my flight in the morning... ???

While a paella is a bit ( ??? ) of work - it is really considered a backyard food in many countries. Usually cooked over a live fire, just a good meal, not considered "fancy." The paella is not only the meal, but also the pan - it is to Latin cooking as the wok to Oriental. A paella was as much a pan, meal as party for us. Many wonderful memories!

Don, your recipe looks delicious. As you say, without saffron it just isn't right. While expensive, saffron MAKES the paella. Thanks for this and I have bookmarked for some summer parties.
Thanks David, with my renewed interest in Paella I found that Spanish Paella is made in as many varieties as different ways to fix chicken here in the USA. In Spain the favorite way to make it is outdoor cooking and over a wood fire. I plan to make this recipe soon and weather permitting will do outdoors. Don
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Offline akruckus

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Re: An Authentic Paella Recipe?
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2016, 04:13:05 AM »
When I was in the Dominican a month ago for our anniversary they had a paella cooking class.  It is easily one of my favorite meals to eat, and I never realized how quick and (semi) easy it is to make.  Thanks for the recipe Don!
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