Paella

This is a famous Spanish dish very popular in the Philippines. The recipe below is the way most Spanish cooks prepare the dish. I'm not sure how Filipinos prepare this dish, but the way I prepare it, I use one flat pan, saute all the ingredients except for the seafood. Add the rice, let it boil and then top with seafood and cover to cook. I also add chicken with my recipe. If you don't have a paella pan, you can also use an electric casserole pan.

Ingredients:

1 red onion (finely chopped)
1 red and green bell pepper (finely chopped)
4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1/2 c green peas
2 tbs fresh parsley (finely chopped)
2 large ripe tomatoes (pureed using box grater, skin out)
16 large raw shrimps (peeled and devein)
2 squids (cleaned and cut into rings)
12 fresh mussels (scrubbed clean)
2 tbs extra virigin olive oil
2 tsp paprika
1 c water
1 1/2 c Spanish rice (regular medium grain rice can be used)
3 c of fish or chicken broth
pinch of saffron threads
salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Prepare the Softrito (Spanish tomato and onion sauce)

In a pan, heat 2 tbs olive oil. Add chopped onion, parsley, and half of the chopped garlic. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pureed tomatoes and paprika. Continue cooking until most of the liquids evaporated. Set aside.

Step 2: Prepare the seafood:

In a saucepan, boil 1 c of water. Add the mussels, cover on low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove all mussels that didn't open and set aside.

In a pan, heat 1 tbs olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the remaining garlic and the shrimps and cook for 1/12 minutes, tossing continuously. Add the squid rings and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove the shrimp and squid from the pan and season with salt and pepper.

Step 3: Prepare the rice:

Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in the paella pan (or a flat pan) over a medium heat and cook the diced red and green bell peppers for about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sofrito or tomato sauce mix and the rice and cook for about a minute, stirring to coat the grains. Add the broth and a pinch of saffron threads. Stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for another 15 minutes. After about 15 minutes of low cooking, turn the heat up to medium and continue cooking until you smell the rice toasting at the bottom, then remove the pan from the fire. Top the mixture with the seafood and the green peas. Cover pan with foil and let sit for about 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Variations:

You can add chicken to this recipe.