Paella is a dish that is extremely versatile. The foundation of paella is short-grained spanish rice cooked in frangrant broth and sofrito -- a traditional Spanish tomato sauce which rounds the flavour of the stock and provides sweetness and depth to the rice. Once the rice has absorbed about 1/2 the liquid in the pan, you can add your chosen toppings -- choose from your favorite veggies, fish, seafood, and/or chicken.
The key flavors which give Paella its distinctive taste are saffron (which flavors your broth), and Spanish paprika, which adds a delicious smokiness to the proceedings.
One of the pleasures of a paella is called socarrat -- this is the crusty crispy bottom of the paella that becomes caramelized and toasted on the bottom of the pan when it is cooking.
This paella foundation is perfect for any number of variations: try prawns and scallops, or tins of conserva, or asparagus and green beans, or chicken with strips of grilled pepper, whatever you are in the mood for! Surf and turf works well here too as pork and seafood often mingle in Iberian cooking -- so when I have some chorizo handy I love to add a few slices to my onions to add more smoky/paprika flavor.
Try cooking your paella over an open fire or on your BBQ to bring out the smokey flavors even more! This is a perfect summer recipe, so we are very excited to be offering the key ingredients in our June Pantry Discovery Box.
Paella with chicken, snap peas, cherry toms, chicken and some Jose Gourmet Calamari...
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LOVE this – so inspirational and I love that I can use the conservas so that I don’t have to go out to the market to make this.