Paella de Esteban

Popularly regarded as Spain's national dish, paella is as varied as the country itself. Restaurants in downtown Barcelona or Madrid may serve it with eel, snails, and clams (beards removed), while rural households may include white beans and rabbit.

There are a few things common to most paellas though, and in my opinion, no paella worth its salt would be without the subtle honey, grassy flavor of saffron, and good, smoky, Spanish chorizo. Tomatoes, garlic, paprika, and olive oil are also essentials.

According to tradition in Valencia, where the dish was said to have originated, paella is cooked over an open fire, fueled by pine branches along with pine cones. This produces an aromatic smoke which infuses the paella.

Serves 4

Ingredients

HERB BLEND:

1/2 cup packed chopped fresh flatleaf parsley

Juice of 1 fresh lemon

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced

PAELLA:

1 teaspoon saffron threads

3 cups chicken broth

12 ounce bag cooked jumbo shrimp, tail shells removed

Olive oil for sauteeing

4 ounces Spanish chorizo* cut into 1/4-inch rounds

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 cup uncooked paella rice**

1/2 cup frozen green peas

Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon

1 ripe avocado, sliced, for garnish

*Palacios Auténtico Chorizo Dulce Español (authentic, mild, Spanish chorizo) is readily available on Amazon in 7 1/2 ounce packages. Spanish chorizo is a moist, flavorful, ready-to-eat, hard salami, as opposed to the more familiar Mexican chorizo, a soft, crumbly, uncooked sausage.

Special note: When package arrives you may notice a white coating on the casing. This is a normal, natural process. Simply wipe off with a slightly damp paper towel.

Palacios Auténtico Chorizo Español also comes in Picante for those who like to live dangerously.

**We also used arroz Calasparra de España, a traditional paella rice from Spain. The product description states:

Calasparra rice is grown in one region only in Spain, known for it's unique properties when cooked, which are said to be the absolute best for paella. Calasparra is a premium grade of Spanish rice granted DOP status [a special European regulatory classification for wines, and foodstuffs such as meats, cheeses, olive oil, and vinegar] in 1986. Calasparra is still, to this day, the only such protected rice in the European community. In the centuries old tradition, fresh river waters are channeled through the rice fields near the town of Calasparra, and the cooler summer climate of the area results in a slower ripening grain which is harder and slower cooking. It needs 2 1/2 times as much water as standard Spanish rice.

Sold by the kilo on Amazon.

Directions

Prepare HERB BLEND by combining the first 4 ingredients, and set aside.

Prepare PAELLA by combining 1 cup water, saffron, and broth in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough olive oil to coat bottom of pan. Add onion and bell pepper, and saute 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, paprika, and garlic cloves, cook 5 minutes.

Add rice, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in herb blend, broth mixture, salt, sliced chorizo, and peas. Bring to a low boil, cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Cook 5 more minutes without stirring. (After cooking paella, there should be a layer of toasted rice at the bottom of the pan, called socarrat in Spain. This is considered a delicacy, and is essential to a good paella.)

Nestle shrimp in rice mixture without disturbing rice on bottom of the pan, cook 3-5 minutes until shrimp are heated through. Sprinkle with juice from 1/2 lemon. Remove from heat, cover with a large dish towel, and let stand 10 minutes. Serve with avocado.