We had friends over for dinner on Sunday. Mr. Comforts of Home and I decided to make Paella. We had never made it before. We purchased a Paella pan and cookbook from a local store and after looking at all of the wonderful recipes, decided to make the traditional version you would find in a Spanish restaurant in America. This is the Paella that most people think about. We did find out, that in Spain, they usually do not mix meat with seafood in Paella. But this American version does. You can click on the pictures to enlarge for detail.
Red, yellow and green peppers, with onion and garlic simmering in the fry pan.
Chicken and spices simmering in another pan...
The finished dish, served right from the pan
Sunflowers and some great Spanish wine, made us almost feel like we were dining in Spain!
Paella Mixta
10 Mussels
1/4 cup, plus 4 tablespoons, plus 4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2/3 cup onions, chopped fine
1 medium tomato, skinned, seeded and chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
2 whole chicken breasts, cut into chunks
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 teaspoons Spanish Paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups rice
6 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon saffron
2 Chorizo sausages, cooked and cut into chunks
20 uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup frozen peas
4 tablespoons capers
1. Scrub and debeard the mussels, discarding any that do not close when tapped sharply. Set aside.
2 Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet. Add the peppers, onion, garlic and tomato, stirring constantly till cooked. Set aside.
3. In another skillet heat 1/4 cup olive oil and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, rosemary, thyme and cumin. Set aside.
4.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet, and saute the rice until it is translucent. Pour in the chicken broth and combine well. At the pepper, tomato, onion mixture. Sprinkle in the saffron and stir until well mixed.
5. Transfer the rice into a paella pan. Mix in the chicken, sausage, mussels, shrimp, peas and capers, combining well. Bake the paella, uncovered and on the lowest shelf in over for around 25 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
6. Discard any mussels that have failed to open. Serve paella straight from the pan, garnished with lemon wedges.
Welcome Home,
Penny
