Paella y Pa’ Él
So Spanish it has to be good.
There is a lot to be said about Paella.
Paella is a feast to the senses. It looks beautiful, it tastes delicious, it smells like Spanish-summer-days, and while it’s cooking it sounds like a soothing wave breaking on rocks.
Paella takes at least two tries to understand it well, like an interesting person who is both intriguing and captivating.
Paella is for the everyday celebration of people coming together, for special occasions, or for the once-a-year family event.
The thing you need to know about Paella is that it pleases everybody and that everybody always comes asking for more!
Bring it all together: The recipes, the book, and the music.
Paella Pan (Get it on Amazon)
🥘 🌶 INGREDIENTS 🥘 🌶 (serves 10–12)
4 cups of Paella rice — Arroz Bomba 1 kilogram (Buy it on Amazon)
8 cups of homemade broth (beef, chicken, mussels, and saffron)
10 pieces of chicken thighs
6 pieces of bone-in beef ribs
20 mussels
2 bell peppers (any color)
1 white onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 pinches of saffron (Buy it on Amazon)
1 tsp salt and pepper to taste
Paprika to taste
5 strands of rosemary
Olive oil to taste
Bonus recipe: Ajoaceite”Aioli” Minute 15:55
1 clove of garlic
2 egg yolks
Olive oil
Salt to taste
🥘 COOKING INSTRUCTIONS 👩🍳 👨🍳
Step 1.
Chop up bell peppers, onion, and garlic. Add a generous amount of olive oil to your paella pan.
Step 2.
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add 2 pieces of chicken thighs and 1 rib
Add saffron and about 8 mussels. Let it simmer on low for 10 minutes.
Step 3.
Cut red bell peppers into long pieces and save them for later
Step 4.
Light up your grill or stove
Step 5.
Remove the pieces of beef, chicken, and mussels from the broth making sure you leave all saffron strands in the broth. Add salt and pepper.
Step 6.
Pack all of your ingredients to take outside to your grill or to take near your stove.
Step 7.
Sauté base ingredients: chopped up peppers, onions, and garlic until brown.
Step 8.
When your base ingredients are ready move them all to the outer circle of the paella pan and begin searing your protein. Add whichever protein takes longer to cook first. In this case, we added the chicken thighs. Continue searing all the protein. Make sure first is evenly distributed at all times. Especially when cooking on a charcoal grill.
Step 8.
Add rice and sauté it evenly.
Step 9.
Add broth and water. 2 cups of liquid per cup of rice. Reserve 1 or 2 cups of liquid for later.
Step 10.
Bring broth to a boil and add rosemary.
Step 11.
Once the broth has boiled lower the heat or raise the grill to allow the rice to simmer. Check with a fork to make sure water is evaporating evenly. This process can take from 30 up to 45 minutes so be patient and DO NOT leave paella unattended. Also, check the protein is cooking well and not overcooking.
Step 12.
Use a fork to inspect liquid at the bottom of the pan and add more liquid to the areas that require it.
Step 13. (optional)
Once the rice is done raise the grill temperature to literally burn the bottom part of the pan and create a crusty layer of the rice. The Spanish call this Socarrat. It is delicious, but you do not have to do it to enjoy paella. Be patient and vigilant so the rice does not burn.
Step 14.
Lower the heat or raise the paella pan and add mussels (hinges up) and red bell peppers. Allow to steam for 6 to 8 minutes. Add more salt.
Serve with aioli and a piece of lime.
Bonus: AIOLI COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1.
Place one clove of garlic into a mortar. (Buy it on Amazon)
Step 2.
Use a pestle to thoroughly grind the garlic
Step 3.
Add egg yolks and mix them all together.
Step 4.
Add salt and olive oil, slowly…
Step 5.
Mix for 5 minutes straight clockwise.
Enjoy!
Book Pairing
Our favorite quote:
I don’t divide the world into the weak and the strong, or the successes and the failures… I divide the world into the learners and the non-learners. — Benjamin Barber
Playlist recommendation:
