Spanish Cooking Paella

Seafood paella recipe (for 4/5 people)

-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

-half little onion, peeled and diced

-1 red pepper diced

-half green pepper diced

-1 medium tomato diced

-half cup of frozen peas, thawed

-400 grams of rice (more or less 3 cups and a half )

-The double quantity and a little bit more of fish broth seasoned with saffron (In this case 8 to nine cups, cooking at high altitude takes longer)

-a handful of fresh shrimp

-a handful of fresh little clams (previously cooked and opened, the resulting liquid was added to the broth)

-a handful of fresh mussels (previously cooked and opened, the resulting liquid was added to the broth)

-a handful of any white fish pieces (normally I used the fish of the broth)

-Some pieces of chicken (optional)

-olive oil

-salt

-Spanish smoked paprika (pimenton)

-lemon to garnish and season at the end

In a big and flat frying pan we heat olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) at a medium temperature. We add the garlic, onion, peppers, tomato, and we sprinkle with salt and paprika; we let it cook for 3, 4 minutes. Then we add the peas, chicken, cooked clams, part of the cooked mussels, fish....We adjust the salt and the oil ( we cannot be shy with this ingredient cooking Spanish)

We let it cook at medium/low fire till everything is well done. At this point we add the rice, and we toss and mix for a a few minutes till all the rice is covered with the "sofrito" (the vegetables cooked in the oil, the pieces of meat, etc). We have the broth ready, better if warm already. We add the all liquid over the rice, we distribute the ingredients evenly in the pan, we put the fire higher till it is boiling, then we turn down the heat to medium/low, and let it cook without stirring for about 30/40 minutes..., till all the broth has been absorbed by the rice, eventually if we see it is too dry and the rice is too hard we can add some extra broth.

The thinner the layer of rice is, the better it will turn out. We can taste to see how the rice it is. We stop the cooking when the rice is still firm, and we lat it "rest' covered with a rug or newspaper for 5 minute. It is normal is a thin layer is slightly burnt and crispy, that is the 'socarrat' and in Spanish families is much appreciated.

Paella admits any variation: More chopped vegetables instead of seafood (artichokes, green beans, eggplants), pieces of chicken or rabbit, slices of chorizo, etc. The fish broth can be substituted with vegetable or chicken broth, but the recipe is similar.

Fish broth

It should be prepared a day ahead.

We need some good fish bones of white fish. We covered them with water and let it boil with half an onion, one tomato, garlic cloves, half a pepper, bay leaves, a glass of white wine, a pinch of salt, etc.... while is cooking we should take off the foam that forms in the surface. Once it has cooked for 50 minutes or so, we let it cool, and we strain it. We keep all the solid ingredients for adding to paella or preparing fish patties another day. We can add the liquid obtained by opening clams and mussels in a covered frying pan with a little bit of oil and some writhe wine.

In any case once that is clean and strained we can heat it a and dilute a pinch of saffron to give flavor and color.