northshoredish.com– The Secret To Preparing The Perfect Paella. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language says that paella is a dish with a saffron taste that is made with different kinds of rice, vegetables, meat, chicken, and seafood. The Dictionary also says that paella means “frying pan” or “pot” in Old French and Catalan. People usually use a flat, big pan for paella. It can have handles on each side.
In fact, you can make a lot of different kinds of paella. On top of that, paella is a great way to use up leftover meats and veggies and clean out the fridge. The key is in the chemistry; any mix will work out in the end. Most of the time, paella is made to feed a lot of people. Also, paella tastes even better the next day because the flavors have had time to blend and get stronger.
It’s not a recipe; it’s more of an outline of the three basic steps you need to take to make a great paella. The reader (the chef!) is free to be creative and make the food their own by changing the steps to suit their tastes.
First the rice
Pick the kind of rice that you are most familiar with. You can try different things, but keep in mind that paella has a lot of parts, and if you don’t like the way a certain type of rice turns out, you could end up with a lot of waste. It can taste and feel great with wild rice, brown rice, or a mix of the two.
How to wash and cook the rice should be done according to the directions on the package. Cut up some tomato, onion, and garlic into small pieces. As soon as the pan is hot, add the olive oil, being careful not to let the oil smoke. Burned olive oil can cause cancer and is not good for you.
Put the raw rice in the oil when it’s hot. When you fry raw rice, it makes it taste nutty. For about one minute, let the rice cook in the pan. Mix in the chopped tomato, onion, and garlic until the vegetables get soft. Add some saffron, salt, and pepper to taste. Feel free to try new things. Some fine herbs, like cumin, cayenne, or even a little cinnamon or cloves, can be used to make your own taste. You shouldn’t leave this mix on the stove for more than five to three minutes.
When you keep mixing at high heat, none of the ingredients should stick. Instead, they should all mix well and get soft. Once all the ingredients are mixed together, take the pan off the heat and add the frozen peas. Add enough peas to make the combination just right.
Second the meat
Put some chicken bits in a pan and heat it over high heat. The breasts, the upper legs, and the drumsticks are all fine. Don’t cook the meat all the way through; just brown the outside. Set the meat away after it has browned. Also, lamb is a great meat to add to paella.
Third combining it all
Place the raw rice mixture on the bottom of the paella pan. Place the chicken bits that have been browned on top. Add Merguez (spicy lamb sausages) that aren’t cooked yet and small fish filets that have been rolled up and tied with string or a stick. You can use any kind of fish as long as the meat stays together well. Add some chicken broth on top. The cooking time will be cut in half if the stock is warm. Keep in mind that you can add wine to make it taste better. Turn the heat up to 350F and cover the paella dish. Cook for 45 minutes, or until the rice is done. You can now add raw shrimp or muscles and cook for five more minutes with the lid off.