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Paella
Jul 27, 2019 22:40:36 GMT
Post by lagatta on Jul 27, 2019 22:40:36 GMT
I see several references to paella anyporters have eaten, and a lovely one made by Tod. I'd appreciate input to making paella in general, or any tips. But any input is welcome!
I do NOT want to eat rabbit, though I know it is authentic in some regions. I have eaten it, and enjoyed it, especially in remote Québec regions, but now the carcass simply looks too much like a skinned cat. But you are welcome to talk about it in this context.
The rice. The only paella rice in my neighbourhood costs over $10 Canadian. Descriptions say I need a round (short-grained)rice. In practice, will an Italian arborio do?
What do you put in your stock/broth/fond?
I definitely want seafood -yes, I know not all paellas include it. How about poultry (chicken or other). Chorizo or other sausages? Vegetables beyond the onion family?
I have a decent-size paella pan, but we are probably making it on a stove/hob.
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Paella
Jul 28, 2019 4:20:46 GMT
Post by kerouac2 on Jul 28, 2019 4:20:46 GMT
I have a family recipe for paella somewhere... maybe I'll be able to find it. Our paella had both chicken and seafood, but we skipped the chorizo.
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Paella
Jul 28, 2019 8:54:15 GMT
Post by amboseli on Jul 28, 2019 8:54:15 GMT
Rice: in fact you need arroz bomba (not available in Belgium, unfortunately) but arborio will do. Any rice, as long as it absorbs well. No rabbit. Check! Chicken, chorizo, shrimp, squid, mussels, ... anything you like. Veggies: onion, green beans, peas, red pepper, tomato, zucchini. I use chicken stock.
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Paella
Jul 28, 2019 11:39:11 GMT
Post by kerouac2 on Jul 28, 2019 11:39:11 GMT
I found that I actually have two recipes for paella, one relatively simple and the other quite complicated and expensive (including lobster tails).
So, here is the simple recipe. I only have it with the Americanized measurements.
1 medium chicken, cut up ¼ cup all purpose flour ¼ cup olive oil 2 carrots, sliced lengthwise 2 medium onions, quartered 1 celery branch including leaves 2 cups chicken broth 1 clove of garlic, minced ¼ cup chopped pimento ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground oregano ¼ teaspoon saffron 1 cup long grain rice 1 small can artichoke hearts 12 small clams in shells ¾ pound shelled raw shrimp
Coast chicken with mixture of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and a dash of pepper. In heavy skillet, brown chicken in hot oil for about 20 minutes. Place in large kettle. Add the next ten ingredients, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add artichoke hearts, shrimp and clams. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes more.
I can see already that there are certain things that I would personally leave out (pimento, probably the artichoke hearts, too) and other proportions that I would change -- more pepper! morte garlic! more shrimp!
I really do not give a rat's ass about what kind of rice is used.
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Paella
Jul 28, 2019 14:26:31 GMT
Post by lagatta on Jul 28, 2019 14:26:31 GMT
By "pimento" do they mean the pickled stuff or just mild red peppers? I'll probably add one of the latter, simply because it is pretty (and I have some on hand).
I can get arroz bomba, but it is expensive. Looks a lot like arborio. Think we are past the lobster season here. In season, it is actually cheaper in Québec than most other places. I'm thinking of using only drumsticks or thighs for the chicken (I prefer dark meat, and they are cheaper). I have poultry stock in the fridge (duck and chicken).
Thanks for all advice! I'm fine with either Imperial or American, or metric measurements. It isn't a precision-based recipe, as baking is.
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Paella
Jul 28, 2019 14:42:30 GMT
Post by kerouac2 on Jul 28, 2019 14:42:30 GMT
I think they may have meant bell peppers/capsicum instead of pimentos. Vocabulary changes over the years.
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Paella
Jul 28, 2019 16:00:27 GMT
Post by kerouac2 on Jul 28, 2019 16:00:27 GMT
I was reading through the other paella recipe and it has both pimento strips and also chopped green bell pepper, so I think the recipe I posted really does mean pimento.
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Paella
Jul 28, 2019 19:23:55 GMT
Post by onlyMark on Jul 28, 2019 19:23:55 GMT
Travel tip - in most restaurants in Spain, don't ask for this dish, especially if you didn't have to pre-order it. It'll invariably be from packet or frozen. Often there are festivals where it has been made on the street in a pan about a hundred metres in diameter (slight exaggeration) over a fire that took enough wood to build several middle ages cathedrals (slight exaggeration) and has been cooked to perfection (no exaggeration). That's the only time I will eat it. One of the many I saw being made in a park for a festival a few years ago from mid-morning and was ready about 8pm. All fresh ingredients.
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Paella
Jul 28, 2019 19:32:58 GMT
Post by kerouac2 on Jul 28, 2019 19:32:58 GMT
Oh, that goes without saying, same for a lot of the more complicated French dishes. Then again, a lot of the vacuum packs of frozen things are not bad -- but not when they have so many ingredients. The simple dishes are reheated best. The others just turn into mush.
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Paella
Jul 28, 2019 20:10:57 GMT
via mobile
Post by mickthecactus on Jul 28, 2019 20:10:57 GMT
I saw that being cooked in Mijas. They were stirring it with garden rakes.
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Paella
Jul 28, 2019 20:22:18 GMT
Post by kerouac2 on Jul 28, 2019 20:22:18 GMT
Giant anythings never appeal to me and I have seen plenty of them at festivals and other events, all over Europe.
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Paella
Jul 28, 2019 23:09:41 GMT
Post by lagatta on Jul 28, 2019 23:09:41 GMT
We are making this for about 6 people. Nothing giant. And we will precook the poultry, at least enough to ensure food safety.
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Paella
Jul 31, 2019 17:04:38 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Jul 31, 2019 17:04:38 GMT
I haven't made paella or its cousin jambalaya in years. It's one of those heart-in-the-mouth dishes, since it's so easy to simultaneously over- and under- cook the various elements of the dish. I don't remember being particularly bothered about what kind of rice, but do remember recipes specifying arborio "if you can get it". I probably used long grain, since that was always my preferred rice for anything. By "pimento" do they mean the pickled stuff or just mild red peppers? I think they may have meant bell peppers/capsicum instead of pimentos. Vocabulary changes over the years. I see that Kerouac has already revised his original answer to say that it was probably pimentos. Really, from the time I started cooking in the US in the '60s, pimentos meant pimentos -- almost invariably the bottled kind. Of course you could substitute roasted, peeled red bell peppers.
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Paella
Jul 31, 2019 21:13:05 GMT
Post by fumobici on Jul 31, 2019 21:13:05 GMT
I've never made a proper paella but I've cooked stuff inspired by the idea and pretty similar. I'm with bixa on using the basic long grain, it's perfect for frying, although arborio probably makes a better crust on the bottom. The only time I've ever had authentic paella was at a food fair in Milan, where a crew of Spaniards with cowboy hats and bandanas were manning a pan the size of an old satellite TV dish. It was mariscos and wonderful. I like the marriage of saffron and rice like a risotto milanese. Which I suppose I should have got as well, being that I was in Milan.
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Paella
Jul 31, 2019 22:32:36 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Jul 31, 2019 22:32:36 GMT
One of the first "fancy" things I learned to cook was risotto Milanese, a richly delicious classic.
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Paella
Aug 3, 2019 4:25:39 GMT
Post by lagatta on Aug 3, 2019 4:25:39 GMT
I rarely post a bit after midnight our time, but we had a lovely little party. Of course there was far too much food, but it won't go to waste.
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Paella
Aug 3, 2019 4:38:44 GMT
Post by kerouac2 on Aug 3, 2019 4:38:44 GMT
I'm glad it went well. What did people drink with it?
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Paella
Aug 3, 2019 14:19:53 GMT
Post by lagatta on Aug 3, 2019 14:19:53 GMT
Wine, mostly white. One person brought a very nice rosé. And water, obviously, sparkling and tap. Nobody happened to bring beer, cider or anything else.
By the way, I just got up, at 10 a.m. I'm usually up by 5:30. I did drink a bit too much, but wasn't remotely drunk and incapable. Drank more water at home and had a good sleep. I'm really not a party animal - and wasn't when I was younger - but it is fun once in a while. And our recently widowed friend was able to enjoy herself.
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Paella
Aug 14, 2019 7:38:31 GMT
Post by lugg on Aug 14, 2019 7:38:31 GMT
Sounds fun Lagatta - was the paella good ? I went on a cookery course in Valencia to learn how to make it their way - seafood with meat was a no no but they used snails. White beans were essential to that paella.It was very tasty - particularly the rice was perfect but to be honest I prefer the non authentic versions that use a mix of chicken and seafood. I guess that comes from eating it on package holidays to Spain as a teenager.
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