Spanish Paella Madrid Recipes

SPANISH PAELLA

Steps:

• *Please note, this is my version of Paella Mixta I learned to make while living in Madrid, Spain. I've simplified the recipe as best I could for anyone to be able to make without a special pan or equipment. There are MANY variations to Paella so please be respectful that my authentic recipe may be different from yours!
• Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add chopped tomato, bay leaf, paprika, saffron salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add white wine and cook for 10 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed.
• Add chicken pieces, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and rice to the pot. Cook for 1 minute.
• Pour the broth slowly all around the pan and jiggle the pan to get the rice into an even layer. (Do not stir the mixture going forward!).
• Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Give the pan a gentle shake back and forth just once or twice during cooking. (We don't ever stir the rice, so that a crispy crust forms at the bottom, called a socarrat).
• Cook for about 15-18 minutes (uncovered), then nestle the shrimp, mussels and calamari into the mixture, sprinkle peas on top and continue to cook (without stirring) for about 5 more minutes. Watch for most of the liquid to be absorbed and the rice at the top nearly tender. (If for some reason your rice is still not cooked, add ¼ cup more water or broth and continue cooking).
• Remove pan from heat and cover pan with a lid or tinfoil. Place a kitchen towel over the lid and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices. Serve.

SPANISH-STYLE PAELLA

Steps:

• In a large saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage and chicken in oil for 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned and chicken is no longer pink, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain if necessary. , Stir in rice and onion. Cook until onion is tender and rice is lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add the broth, tomatoes, paprika, cayenne, salt and saffron. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 10 minutes. , Stir in the shrimp, peppers and peas. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer or until rice is tender, shrimp turn pink and liquid is absorbed. Top with fresh parsley and lemon wedges, if desired.

AUTHENTIC SPANISH PAELLA

Steps:

• It's best to have all of your ingredients prepared before you start cooking.
• Prepare the rabbit by separating the legs, cutting remaining meat into small slices and lightly salting. (In my area rabbit is seasonal. During the summer and fall I substitute with chicken legs).
• I peel my shrimp, leaving only the tail and then salt them. In Spain they tend to leave the shrimp unshelled.
• I always try to make my chicken stock from scratch (time permitting), adding a bit of rosemary, a tiny pinch of saffron and a bit of thyme. If you're going to use bouillon, I'd recommend at least heating it up with these herbs and then straining before you start.
• Keep your stock hot but not boiling as you cook.
• Coat the bottom of your pallera/pan with olive oil.
• Brown your chorizo over high heat for 1-2 minutes. Do not fully cook, just get the outside well browned. Set aside. This should add a nice red color and a hell of a flavor to your oil.
• Brown the Rabbit for 2-3 minutes. It should not be fully cooked. Set aside.
• Brown garlic, onion and bell pepper until they're softened, adding plum tomatoes shortly before the mixture is finished.
• Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and on the other add the half can of tomato paste. Caramelize it, flipping it and spreading it until it begins to loosen (1-2 min over hight heat).
• Mix all of the vegetables and meats together with the caramelized tomato paste also adding the paprika, parsley and thyme.
• Add rice, mixing together and stirring as the rice browns (1-1 1/2) minutes. As the rice browns mix in the saffron. Make sure to break it between your fingers and stir it in to release all those tasty oils.
• When the rice is slightly translucent add enough chicken stock to cover the whole mixture. If it's been kept warm, it will begin to boil almost immediately. Lower to a medium heat but keep it at a steady boil.
• This is where paella is made and broken. I stir a few times in the first 5-10 minutes, adding broth as necessary to keep the rice fully covered. After this you must let the paella SIT! Let it cook another 10-20 minutes (I find that this step takes longer on a stovetop), adding broth bit by bit to keep the rice submerged until the rice on the top is al dente. Don't worry about rice burning to the bottom, this part (which actually has a name which escapes me at the moment, it's something like socarrat) is a tasty delicacy.
• Once you've stirred the paella for the last time and are letting cook, when you have about 8 minutes left to cook lay shrimp on top, turning over after 2-4 minutes to cook other side.
• When the rice on top is still quite al dente, take paella off of heat and cover. You must let it sit for 15-20 minutes. I've taken the lid off prematurely and ended up with a crunchy mess. Patience is the key.
• Once you're sure it's ready uncover, garnish with lemon wedges and enjoy!

OUR FAVORITE SPANISH PAELLA RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325ºF.
• Bring broth and saffron just to simmer in small saucepan on medium heat.
• Meanwhile, cook and stir chorizo and bacon in large ovenproof skillet on medium heat 4 to 5 min. or until done. Remove meat from skillet with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.
• Add tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic and dressing to drippings in skillet; cook and stir 5 min. Stir in broth mixture; bring to simmer. Add rice, shrimp, tilapia and meat; stir. Top with mussels, nestling them in rice mixture; cover.
• Bake 25 to 30 min. or until liquid is absorbed and mussels open up. Discard any unopened mussels shells. Top paella with peas.

SPANISH-PAELLA MADRID

Steps:

• For fresh clams, cover clams in shells with salted water, using 3 tablespoons salt to 8 cups cold water. Let stand 15 minutes and rinse.
• Repeat soaking and rinsing twice. Set aside.
• For fresh shrimp, remove shells from shrimps.
• Split each shrimp down the back with a small knife and pull out the black or white vein.
• Rinse shrimp and dry on a paper towel. Set aside.
• In a paella pan or a very wide skillet, cook sausage 10 minutes or until done. Drain; let cool and slice. Set aside.
• Heat oil in the skillet and brown chicken 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove chicken and set aside.
• In a saucepan, heat chicken broth to a boil.
• Meanwhile, brown onion, red pepper and garlic in oil remaining in the skillet.
• Place oven rack on the very bottom, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Add rice, boiling broth, oregano and saffron to the skillet. Bring to a boil over high heat and then remove.
• Arrange chicken, sausage, shrimp and clams on top of the rice.
• Scatter peas over all. Set the pan in the oven, and bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes or until liquid has been ab-sorbed by rice.
• NEVER stir paella after it goes into the oven.
• Remove paella from the oven and cover with a kitchen towel.
• Let rest 5 minutes. Serve at the table directly from the pan.