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Monday, January 29, 2007

Paella & Borscht





Yes, it may have a bit international conflict but Spanish and Russian. It actually goes well, which Prof. Usagi did not agree with before he tasted it. I got a recipe of paella from Prof. Usagi's mom. The last one is Mini-Usagi's solid food, which includes rice, snapper, potato, pumpkin and Broccoli. Of course, they were mashed.

The following is the recipe for Paella that I have gotten from Janet (mam-in-law). Hope that one recipe would not violate the copyright.

Paella a la Valenciana (for 8-10)

6 cups very strong chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon saffron (this seems like quite a bit, but it is important that you use the expensive threads from autumn crocus--not imitation red powdered)
1 small onion peeled
2 small chickens, about 2 1/2# each (I use boned chicken breasts and boned thighs because it is easier to cut them up, and easier to make sure they get done, but probably some loss of flavor)
Coarse salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 # chorizo sausage (important for the overall flavor)
1 large pork chop, boned and diced
1/4 # piece of cured ham, diced (Serrano, or Proscuito)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pimientos,homemade or imported, diced (Pimenton de la Vera dulce I've not used this before, but now have some
1 # small or medium shrimp, shelled (I devein, if I can)
2 live lobsters, split and divided into tail secions and claws, or four lobster tails, split lengthwise o 8 king crab slaws; or 8 jumbo shrimp, in their shells (I've never used any of these, but generally have used large shrimp instead of small or medium above, and shelled and deveined)
3 cups short-grain rice (i.e., from Valencia, or arborio from Italy, or pearl from Calif)
5 T. chopped Parsley
2 bay leaves crumbled
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 T. lemon joice
1/4 fresh or frozen peas
18 clam, smallest available, at room temperature, scrubbed
18 small mussels, scrubbed
Lemon wedges for garish
Chapped parsley for garnish.

Heat the broth with the saffron and the whole onion. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove the onion and measure the broth--you need 5 1/2 cups.

Cut the chickens into small serving pieces. Dry the pieces well and sprinkle with salt.

In a metal paella pan (or large skillet, heat the oil. Add the chicken pieces and fry over high heat until golden. Remove to a warm platter. (I have always done the chorizo first to get its seasoning into the chicken)

Add the chorizo, pork, and ham and stir fry about 10 minutes.

Add the chopped onion, scallions, garlic and pimientos, and saute until the onion is wilted.

Add the shrimp, and crab or lobster,and saute about 3 minutes, until they barely turn pink. (Maybe less) Remove shell fish to platter with chicken.

Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat it well with the oil. Sprinkle on the 5 T. parsley and the bay leaves.

Stir in the chicken broth, boiling hot, the wine, lemon juice, and peas.
Salt to taste. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, and stirring
occasionally, over medium-high heat about 10 minutes. (I would not add the frozen peas until just before going in the oven)

Bury the shrimp and chicken in the rice. Add the clams and mussels, pushing them into the rice, with the edge that will open facing up.

Decorate the paella with the lobster pieces, or some large shrimp, then bake at 325° uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit on top of the stove, lightly covered with foil for about 10 minutes.

To serve, decorate with lemon wedges and chopped parsley.

Some people put cut green beans in.

I generally add strips or squares of red and green, and maybe yellow or orange pepper as the rice is cooking.

I also usually add 1 can, drained and rinsed garbanzo beans (chick peas) (about 2/3 cup uncooked, if you want to soak over night, and cook yourself), as it goes in the oven.

One of my paella pans is too large to go in the oven, so all the cooking must be on the stove top, or an outdoor grill. Getting the rice done then is tricky, and I will tend to add the broth more like a risotto, in separate additions, and then cover the pan with foil for part of the time, and rarely add clams and mussels, because they are unlikely to open before the rice has burned to the pan.

I've got a new recipe here that I want to try that goes pretty much like this, but has no seafood, just 1/4 # beef tenderloin and 1/4# chicken breast for 1 1/2 cups short grain rice, and 3 1/2 cups chicken broth, each cut in small pieces, red and green pepper.

Bon Appetite.