Originally Posted by Chainsaw13
Here's one I adapted from a Spanish cookbook I recently got. You can change any ingredients to your liking. The key with the shrimp is to saute them separately and add to the finished paella. Cooking in the oven or on the stove top for the entire cooking time would overcook them to the point of being like rubber.
There's many ways to make paella, using chicken, rabbit, pork, spanish chorizo, shrimp, mussels, green beans, artichokes, peas, etc. You get the jist. Just use whatever you like. Remember, the rice is the real star.
1lb shrimp, peeled and deviened
1/2lb pork, cut into 1" cubes
8 large garlic cloves, crushed in a garlic press (finely minced will work too)
2 large ripe tomatoes, cut in half and grated on a box grater. discard the skins
1 can of artichoke hearts, drained and patted dry with paper towels. If using whole hearts, cut into quarters
4 cups chicken broth (5 if using bomba rice)
1.5 tsp smoked paprika (regular paprika will work too)
pinch of saffron, pulverized into a powder
pinch of cayenne
1.5 cups short grain rice (Spanish Bomba rice is best, Italian Arborio rice will work too. Don't use long grain rice or sushi rice)
salt and pepper
olive oil
Get everything prepped before starting. Bring stock to simmer in separate saucepan, and add saffron. Keep at simmer until ready to use. Preheat oven to 425F.
Season pork with salt/pepper, about 1/4 of the garlic and a bit of the paprika. Let stand for 10-15 minutes.
Heat 13-in paella pan over medium heat. Add about 3 TBSP oil and heat until it just starts to smoke. Add the pork and brown, turning serveral times. Add the artichokes (or other veggies) and stir until they start to brown, 3-4 minutes. Push everything to edges of pan where it's not as hot. Add 1 TBSP oil, then add the remaining garlic. Saute for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add tomatoes to center of pan, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring tomatoes serveral times until thickened and reduced, about 5-7 minutes. Combine all ingredients in pan, adding the remaining paprika and the cayenne and stir for a few seconds.
Add the rice to the pan and stir generously to coat with the pan mixture. Pour in 3 cups of the simmering stock (4 if using bomba rice). Keep remaining stock simmering. Shake pan to distribute rice evenly. Put pan over medium heat and cook until liquid is almost level with the rice, but the rice is still soupy, about 7-8 mins. Periodically move and rotate the pan so the liquid boils evenly. If the liquid is absorbed too fast and the rice seems too raw, sprinkle on more stock. Check the seasoning of the liquid, adding more salt/pepper as necessary.
Transfer pan to oven and bake until the rice is tender but still a little al dente, about 15 mins. Heat a separate pan over medium heat to cook the shrimp in. Season shrimp with salt/pepper, add a bit of oil to the pan and saute about 2-3 mins a side. Remove from pan and set aside. Check the paella a few times, adding more stock if the rice seems too raw. Remove pan from the oven and cover with foil and let stand 5 minutes. Uncover and let stand another 10 minutes. Garnish with the sauted shrimp and serve. Roasted red pepper strips also make a nice garnish and are very traditional.
When checking the rice for doneness, taste the rice towards the middle/bottom of pan. This will give you true test of it's doneness.
I make a garlic ailoli to stir into the finished dish.
1 egg yolk
juice of half a lemon
pinch of salt
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup olive oil
Add first four ingredients to blender jar. Start up blender on slow speed, slowly (can't stress this point) add olive oil. If you add the oil too quick, it won't emulsify and your ailoli will be runny. Once you can see things are coming together and getting thick, you can add the oil a bit quicker. Transfer to small dish. Spoon onto finished paella and stir to incorporate.
If you don't have a paella pan, any large saute or fry pan will work. Paella pans work best as they're thinner and react to temp changes quicker. They're also designed to keep the rice about 1/2 in thick for best cooking.
As for the rice, the normal 2-1 ratio of liquid to rice is normal starting point, except if using Spanish Bomba rice. It will absord a lot more liquid. Because you're cooking without a lid on the dish, you'll need more liquids due to evaporation.
Enjoy.
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