Another Primo One Pot Meal

Paella for some is a big deal Spanish dish fussily made for a special occasion. For the Spanish themselves, it's just another way to make dinner. Paella started as a peasant dish that let the cook throw into one pot whatever was on hand, so there is not one rigid recipe or version. It's said the original Valencia dish to gain fame contained rabbit and still does, not the seafood Americans think paella has to be made from. In other words, paella is the perfect meal for cleaning out your refrigerator.  (The photos here show my most recent effort: vegetarian paella because I was out of chorizo.)       

If you know history, you know for centuries much of Spain was part of the Arab Empire--Al Andaluz. So it should not surprise you to learn  paella is simply Spanish for pilaf or what east of Arabia is called pilau. Or that the American version of this partially fried rice is jambalaya. Call it what you will, it is always a hearty meal of yummy stuff braised in rice. In other words, a fabulous one pot dinner.  

It does help to have the right pot. But you can improvise. Shallow, round and flat should be the key descriptions of what you choose to use. Round and flat spreads the ingredients out. Shallow facilitates fast cooking but also that most precious part of paella, socarrat. The Spanish actually have a special word for the rice that gets crisp and brown on the bottom of the pan--like Persian tahdig, and usually make sure it goes to the most honored person at the table.  For the cook, the best part of socarrat is how it occurs specifically because once you put all the ingredients into the pan, you are supposed to do nothing to disturb them and that means: do not rush in to try to keep the rice from sticking to the pan. Paella is relaxing to cook! 

The key ingredient, of course, is the rice: paella rice is short grain, round and medium starchy. It is much quicker to cook than the Italian rices (arborio, carnali) used for risotto. Another special feature is how it absorbs three times its volume in water while the average rice grain  absorbs only twice its volume. So, it absorbs more flavor. And best of all those swollen grains do not get mushy and clump together.  Bomba rice, the variety grown in Valencia, is widely sold as "paella" rice. Calasparra rice grown in the town of that name is also perfect. If you can't easily find either of these, just go for the CalRose short grain rice. 

The other key ingredient here because it is the only spice and the source of glamorous golden color is saffron. A pinch elevates any paella to the sublime.       

Ingredients to go into the saffron rice can be whatever you want. It always helps to make onion the first among them. The Spanish use a lot of bell peppers, red and green. They (and I) like peas. And artichoke hearts (which come in cans).  I usually chop in what's left of a leek and love to include celery for the sweetness it adds. I've been known to toss in a leftover cauliflower clump or two, a few chopped up green beans (aka string beans), and a bit of parsnip. Broccoli is too strong for this.    

Carnivores can add slices of chorizo to be authentic or pepperoni to be close. These will flavor a mostly vegetarian version magnificently, so you can stop there. I usually do because I try to keep a stick of chorizo on hand for this quick meal. The next step would be chicken thighs, one per person. Then shrimp or prawns.  If you want the full monty, mussels and clams on top.  Instead of chicken, shrimp and prawns, you can use rabbit. There is no right or wrong here. Except no meatballs or beef please.

So what to do?
Chop the onion and thinly slice the chorizo. Thinly cover the bottom of what pot you've got with olive oil, heat it up and sauté the onions and chorizo about 3 minutes to soften the onions.   

If you are using chicken, put it in skin side down and brown it so it gets crisp. Then flip it over. Add sliced leeks, large bite size chunks of bell peppers, diced celery, thin disks of parsnips, small chunks of cauliflower and stir to blend. Cook 2 minutes just to soften these vegetables. Add peas (1/3 -1/2 c per person), green beans, shrimp or prawns.  Add 1/3 c rice for every person. Add a pinch of saffron, the size of that pinch depending on how much paella you are cooking. Now add 1 1/3 c vegetable or chicken broth or water for every 1/3 c of rice.  Season with salt. Over high heat bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and let it boil until the liquid is almost gone. Cut the heat and let it steam dry before serving.

If you are using clams and mussels, clean them and when the liquid is half gone from the pot spread them around the top. Put foil over the pot and let them steam the rest of the way. They should be fully opened in the end.  

SERVING NOTE: The Spanish usually do not include tomatoes in paella because they are likely to serve paella with tomato salad or pan de tomate.  I have also served it to myself in quarantine with a cucumber, red onion and cherry tomato salad.