The Agony and the Ecstasy of Paella
He boiled the water. Seasoned it just so. Scored tomatoes. Set them all in a row.
Rained tears when he peeled the onions. Cut his finger as he diced. Hooray for the finger condom. A nifty rubber device.
He blanched the tomatoes. Set the ice. Into boiling water. He didn’t think twice.
Off the skin came, and he set it aside. Seeds flowed forth in an acidy tide.
Into the pot, everything goes. And, when the heat fires, the tasty scents will blows.
*****
The base of Spanish paella is a sofrito. A mixture of onion and tomato, it cooks down slow. Warms the senses. Seasons the tongue. Smelling the start of it right now, I’m already famished.
Paella is a big dish. Intricate. A simmering strip-tease.
Do we really have to wait until tonight?
*****
True paella comes in two versions: the mountains and the sea. In this article, I include MTM’s sea version. We will have both for Lou’s party, because the lovely Miss TK is allergic to shellfish.
Shellfish Paella in a Clay Casserole
For the sofrito:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 pounds onions, minced
2 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
For the picada:
2 large garlic cloves, coursely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads or 1/4 teaspoon powdered saffron
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
For the rice and shellfish:
16 small live clams, scrubbed
16 small live mussels, scrubbed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds squid, cleaned, bodies cut into rings and tentacles whole
1 1/2 cups short grain rice
4 cups fish stock
16 large shrimp in their shells
1/2 pound large scallops
8 lemon wedges
3/4 cup garlic mayonnaise
To cook the sofrito:
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and saute slowly over low heat, stirring from time to time, until onions are brown and almost caramelized, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Add small amounts of water if necessary to prevent onions from burning. Add tomatoes and increase heat to medium; cook until dry.
To prepare the picada:
In a food processor, finely grind all ingredients. Set aside.
To prepare the clams and mussels:
In a large pot, bring about 1/2 cup water to boil. Steam clams and mussels on a rack over boiling water until they open, 4 to 5 minutes for mussels and 5 to 10 minutes for clams. Set aside, discarding any that do not open. Strain broth through a fine-mesh strainer. Reserve.
To cook rice and shellfish:
Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium skillet, heat oil’ add squid rings and tentacles. Saute for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring. Add sauteed squid and their juices to casserole or skillet with sofrito. Stir in rice and picada.
Measure reserved broth and add enough fish stock to equal 4 1/2 cups. Bring to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add to skillet and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, gently moving rice around so it cooks evenly throughout. Add shrimp and scallops, pushing them down into rice so they are covered with broth.
Transfer skillet to oven and cook another 10 minutes, or until rice is slightly underdone. Remove skillet from oven, and arrange mussels and clams on top. Cover skillet with a cloth and let it sit for 10 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with lemon wedges, and pass the mayo in a sauceboat. Serves 8, but can be adjusted.
Note: This recipe was torn from a magazine years ago, and I have no idea who to credit. All I know is it’s yummy.
That sounds wonderful. The finger condom had me thinking how different things may have been if the finger of the hand of God, giving life to Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, had been wearing one:)
ROFL….
I am sorry to say that we will not be able to make it for Lou’s celebration tonight. We will be there in spirit though. Please give Lou a big hug from us.
This sounds sooooo Yummy, I think I’ll pop over about Noon and just make the ultimate sacrifice for all by test tasting the feast. it’s the least I can do for the Queenie and Shadow Ninja Arckie-Techie Dude.
Enjoy the scents and aromas . . .
Brings back memories. My mom made a 3-foot across paella with chicken, hot sausage, clams, shrimp, and lobster . . . all on a bed of sofrito rice sprinkled with peas. OK, now I’m famished.
Yum!! OK, I am hungry already. Wonder if you could make a bar-b-q paella?
I like the way Michael thinks. BBQ paella is brilliant.
Ummm…..I’m not allergic to shellfish….I’m allergic to nuts. But the effort by MTM is much appreciated! Perhaps someone else coming tonight is allergic or doesn’t like shellfish. Anyway, I am salivating already! Thank you, MTM!
I can smell your house now.
I’m interested to know what meat (if any) goes into MTM’s “mountain” version of this dish, since I’d be standing next to the lovely Miss TK at this particular feast. No allergy to shellfish here, but only nominal interest…
Again, I say congratulations to Lou and hope you’ll all have a great time at the party!
I’m smelling this from here! I love a good paella, but admit that I’ve never made it myself. What a hospitable dish!
Mmmmm, sounds delightful. Have fun!
What a wonderful, detailed recipe. So sorry to miss the effort, the company, the joy. We’ll try to be on the hangout with you all.
Oh, goodness, that sounds so good. I can just about smell its fragrance and taste it, Andra. Enjoy the party and congratulations to Lou.
This may seem a little trigger happy, Andra, but I think I might cook this tomorrow…
I am going on vacation soon and the one thing I look forward to is Paella on the beach. It’s so delicious! You have me daydreaming!
This sounds really good, Andra. I don’t think I’ve ever had paella…
Love paella. And I should really own a finger condom. I have been cutting and burning myself right and left lately.
If you Google finger cot on amazon, they sell them. A box is pretty cheap, and they work wonders for the kitchen.
Such ‘Amazing’ Poetry… and a Mouthwatering Recipe! How did I ever miss this? Oh, by the way… I seem to recall giving explicit instructions to Mail My Portion of Paella, from Lou’s party, since I could not attend. I have been looking in my mailbox everyday now, wondering why you did not send by priority mail. I guess I should stop looking? Make it myself? What would you suggest?
We almost never make this, Ted. You will be waiting a long, long time…..
Printing the recipe now… this is one I’ve never made. Tell MTM, thanks for the recipe.
I guess I’ll have to buy a pan, I saw one in the window of our one and only cookware store once.
MTM uses an iron skillet for his. If you have a skillet that can go in the oven, you do not need to buy a special pan.
Actually I do. I like to be authentic, so I will see if they have a pan tomorrow. You like shoes… I like cooking tools (and there’s no one here to make me throw a pan out when I buy a new one). I’ll let you know how it turns out. I have always wanted to try it.