This is the recipe I wrote for the September issue of the Rancho Bernardo Inn's Resort Club newsletter.
Every other Friday, while working the San Sebastian buffet, I would get a request for the recipe of the huge paella that we gloriously display in a traditional paellera (paella pan) in the middle of the patio. And while not a lot of people own a paellera, or have a huge patio with a fireplace, or a crowd to feed, it is still easy to re-create the Veranda paella at home – of course on a much smaller scale.
The recipe below is adapted from one that a Spanish classmate of mine from culinary school would always use. I think it is the best for home paella-making as the ingredients are broken down into amounts per person. As for the paella pan (which can be purchased nowadays from most specialty kitchenware stores), a regular stainless steel or cast iron pot works – just make sure that it can fit all the ingredients!
Originally, paella was a dish made in Valencia, Spain using saffron-flavored rice, chicken, rabbit, snails and three kinds of fresh beans. Now, paella is almost always associated with seafood, chicken and vegetables and there are many, many recipes depending on where you are in Spain, what is available at the moment, who’s making the paella, etc. I read in a Spanish cookbook that, “There is no right or wrong recipe for paella, only the recipe that pleases you.” This recipe best re-creates the version we’ve been making at the Veranda over the past summer.
Serve the paella with a glass of sangria or an earthy red wine from Rioja. Buen provecho!
Veranda Seafood Paella
Ingredients:
½ cup uncooked Valencian rice, per person (substitute Arborio or Calrose rice)
1 cup chicken stock per ½ cup of rice
5 saffron threads per person, gently toasted in a small pan and dissolved in ¼ cup white wine
4 tablespoons, or more, olive oil, to cover bottom of pan
1 3 oz piece of chicken per person (optional)
½ to 1 piece chorizo de Bilbao per person
½ teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika per person
1 clove garlic per person minced
¼ cup chopped onion per person
¼ cup chopped red bell pepper per person
¼ cup chopped tomato per person
2 shrimp or prawns per person
2 3 oz pieces of fish (seabass, yellowtail, monkfish, or swordfish work well) per person
2-4 small clams and/or mussels per person
1 oz sliced calamari (squid) per person
Green peas
Roasted peppers, cut into strips
Artichoke hearts (optonal)
Sliced olives, sliced hard-boiled egg, chopped parsley, and/or lemon wedges, as optional garnishes
Procedure:
1. Heat stock and saffron infused wine. Allow to come to a boil then remove from heat.
2. Heat the paella pan over medium heat, add olive oil and fry chicken (if adding chicken) until golden and the juices run clear.
3. Add the chorizo, garlic, onions and bell pepper. Saute until the onions are translucent.
4. Add the rice, stirring until well coated with oil.
5. Add the paprika and chopped tomato, stir.
Add the saffron flavored wine and hot stock. Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of pan. Adjust heat to maintain a slow boil.
6. After about five minutes, add the seafood and cook for another 10 minutes or until rice is done.
Add the peas, roasted peppers, and artichoke hearts.
7. Sprinkle the finished paella with chopped parsley and garnish the top with sliced black olives, sliced hard-boiled eggs and lemon wedges if desired.
