We had a quick get together with some of our co-workers earlier this past week. It was a get together that was long overdue and it was certainly nice to be able to finally kick back a talk about non-work items. I had heard about Lynn's (our hostess) famous paella and it was a treat to be able to see them make it.
Although it isn't required, a proper paella pan helps you get the right amount of heat distributed across the entire amount of goodies you are cooking in the pan. The key to a great paella is maintaining a consistent texture of rice. Cook it too long, the rice can become too soft and the dish falls flat. Having a pan that is too deep can make this a challenge. The paella pan, while shallow and wide, helps with this. Of course, with a large pan, you will need a rather large heat source. One method is to use a large fire pit. A more common method is to use a BBQ grill.
Making the paella was a lot less involved than I had envisioned. Honestly, I think most of the work happened before I even arrived. All of the veggies and meats along with the broths were already prepped. We had two pans going that evening, one for vegetarians and another for the meat hungry. The veggie pan was made up of red and green peppers, garbanzo beans, spinach, and tomatoes along with onions and garlic. The meat eaters pan contained two different kinds of sausages (maybe a brat and chorizo), chicken, and shrimp.
After browning the veggies and meats, the rice is added. It is important to use a medium-grain rice, such as Arborio, Valencia, or Bomba. Rice such as these are round and short, allowing it to absorb the flavors of the other components and create a very tasty bite. Really, that is the best way to think about paella. Every component you add is there to flavor the rice.
Shortly after adding the rice, a saffron-infused broth is added to the pan (just enough to cover the contents). The pan simmers until the broth has been almost completely absorbed into the rice. At this point the rice should be at a good spot. Some folks like to char the bottom and create crunchy layer called socarrat. The beauty of this dish is that you can interchange just about any ingredient and come up with a unique bite. For instance, we used a vegetable stock for one pan (I bet you can guess which one) and a chicken stock for the other.
The hostess and chef adding in tomatoes to the veggie paella soon after the addition of the saffron-infused vegetable stock.
The finished paella topped with asparagus and parsley.
Such a love evening filled with wonderful food and people. I suppose that is the other upside of using a proper paella pan. You'll end up with so much food that you are forced to invite your friends and neighbors over!