Paella Please

[welsh wizard]

Her indoors fancies a BBQ for my Birthday (yep thats right, last year I had a surprise birthday BBQ - the surprise was I was cooking it) later on in the Summer and would like to have a paella cook out rather than a traditional BBQ.

Having made only a few in my time and not on a grand scale (30 ish people this time) I was hopeful of any advice you may offer. Especially tips / hints to get me under way. I do have a 55cm paella pan which I reckon will feed c14 people but I am quite prepared (evidently) to cook in shifts!!

Oh and also it seems that I dont mind either cooking a fish paella or a game paella (where's those rabbits?)

Anyway you lot never let me down so HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!!!

Cheers WW.

[Paul Kribs]

WW

Paella can be cooked thousands of different ways. It was created as a peasant dish to use up any leftover food. The ingredients being dictated by what region it was being prepared in. If you lived near the coast it would be seafood and if you lived inland it would be meat/game/snails etc.

When I make it, I just 'wing' it, but I would advise that you prepare everything and have it all to hand prior to starting cooking. I paticularly like making a mixed paella containing both meat and fish. Why not have a practise run prior to the main event, using a basic recipe, and chop and change the ingredients round to what suits you and yours using a basic recipe.

Have a look at these and you'll get the gist..

http://www.lingolex.com/spanishfood/paella.html

http://www.buyspain.com/all_recipes.htm

http://www.sallys-place.com/food/single-articles/paella_recipe.htm

http://www.alicante-spain.com/spain-tips/paella.html

BTW, mines only 40 cms

Regards, Paul Kribs

[welsh wizard]

Thanks Paul, helpful as always.

Re size (and Im not boasting with my 55cm ) do you cook yours outside, and if so on what? I know the traditional way is over a log fire but I see there are now fancy gas burner rings at HUGE prices (well they are fo me). Do you think it would be OK if I had a go with my two portable gaz camping stoves like the ones we used to use to boil a kettle on whilst out fishing that come with these tube gaz canisters?

Like the advice on Meat and Fish, will give it a go.

Cheers for now WW

[Paul Kribs]

WW

I cook mine on the largest gas ring on my cooker hob. It is OK if you keep it moving, but as the heat source is only on a small portion of the base of the pan it is liable to 'catch'. Don't be afraid to add more liquid/stock as the rice takes it up, and evaporation. Add it a bit at a time, I like to use chicken stock and white wine, but you can use fish stock or even water.

Don't know if you can get away with the camping gaz heat source, you need to try to get the heat dispersed over as much of the base as possible. I reckon a round kettle style BBQ (lid removed) would be spot on. You could probably make a good heat source by placing some bricks in a circle on a paving slab and using BBQ charcoal, and resting the pan on them, remember to leave a few gaps between the bricks.

A good finishing touch is to use half shell greenlip mussels, and if the budget runs to it, some tiger prawns, but ordinary prawns will do, and a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley. If you are making a 'mixed' paella, don't put the seafood in until it's almost finished, it only needs heating through.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Rik vonTrense]

New Zealand greenlip mussels in the half shell are sold by Tesco but in a frozen bag.

I would assume that they are ready for eating after defrosting do theyhave to be heated through or just chucked in the pan and stirfried.

Any suggestions would be helpful....I think I made a lasange with mine with some added tiger prawns.

Talking of prawns...... in days of olde when the winkle man used to come round on a sunday afternoon with his horse and cart yellin .........
"FINELARRGEEEEVINKAULSSS" usually ringing a bell and the people used to go out with their bowls etc to purchase stuff.

We always used to have a pint of winkles for Dad and as pint of shrimps for me (i loved the taste but hated to peel them) which I would have on a sandwich and Mum used to have her prawns in their shells which were muvh easier to peel as they were bigger. But the thing I remember most was the prawn meat was soft and juicy and very tasty the prawns that you get nowadays whether ready cooked and peeled or fresh uncooked do not taste the same but even when they are done they still taste as if the meat is only half cooked and still retains a texture like it needs a longer cooking period. If you put them anywhere near a microwave they go like rubber and the same when you stirfry them.


.


.

[Maryhillgull]

WW
The single most important ingredient is the sofrito the base of the paella. This is a very rich puree made from onions tomatoes and sometimes peppers (and other ingredients). The basic idea is to cook the finely chopped onions slowley in loads of olive oil until all the moisture is driven off but do not over brown them!. then add the skinned and deseeded tomatoes and cook until you have a wonderful rich and intense puree to help develop the rich taste you will need to add water and let this cook off. Recipes vary from house to house in spain but they will all use a good Sofrito as the base. Any herbs and peppers (bell) can be added to the Sofrito at the end I usually take about 45 minutes to cook out my Sofrito but it is well worth the effort. Once you have added the stock try not to stir the rice to much as this will release the starch and you will end up with a risotto, it does not matter if the rice sticks a bit on the bottom as this is what happens in most Paella anyway. My favourite paella is from the Set Portes restaurant in Barcelona is as follows.
Once the Sofrito is made remove from the pan leaving as much oil behind as possible. Next fry of the meat to brown it off Rabbit, chicken, pork and of course chorizo and butifarra. Add rice (washed till the water runs clear) chilli if you like a bit of spice and of course Saffron. Once the rice has been coated in oil add a good chicken/veal or fish stock about double the volume of rice and a couple of fl oz extra (for evaporation) One last stir and leave to simmer gently with 15 minutes gone it time to add any seafood/fish Prawns mussells Squid (these can be fried in a little oil first) Smallish pieces of cod/halibut/hake whatever is available now add a little more stock if required and cover (I just use some tin foil) so the shellfish and fish can steam cook for a further 5 minutes and then leave to rest for 5 minutes so all the juices coming out of the fish can be absorbed into the rice Place on centre of table and whip of the foil off and fantastico!!!!!!!!

This is just my favourite there are so manu variations you could probably cook Paella everyday for the next ten years and still not cover them all. Hope whatever recipe you follow your Paella works out

Cheers

[Paul Kribs]

Rik

Yes, you only need to defrost the greenlips but I think they are slightly more tastey if warmed a bit. Just by resting them on the cooked paella does the trick. I buy my greenlips, squid and prawns from the chinese cash and carry in Charlton.

I am a bit younger than you Rik, cos our winkle man used to come around on Sunday afternoon in a grey Austin van.. he still had his bell though. Although our seafood was supplied in really thick brown paper bags..

Regard, Paul Kribs

[Maryhillgull]

Sorry forgot to say the you put the Sofrito back in as you add the stock, it would have been a real shame to spend 45 minutes cooking it then wondering what to do with it as you serve the Paella!!!!!!

[Fallow Buck]

It's lucky this site is based in the UK and not some other far more litigous society. My waistline is expanding everytime I log on let alone make any of the great recipies I keep reading or ideas I get!!

So Paella.... Rabbit Prawns chicken wings and some calamari. Not sure about the mussels as I sometimes struggle with them after a bad case of poisoning. And of course a little chorizo added for good measure along with all the safffron.

Now.... where is the best place to get a Paella pan from?

As for the Shrimps Rik. The brown shrims are great but if you get the regular shell on cooked prawns then they are still as good tasting as they always were. at about 6�/kg thhey are great value and I always get a big bag wghen I see them on the fishmongers slab.

Rgds,
FB

[pokerpete]

Thanks Paul, helpful as always.

Re size (and Im not boasting with my 55cm ) do you cook yours outside, and if so on what? I know the traditional way is over a log fire but I see there are now fancy gas burner rings at HUGE prices (well they are fo me). Do you think it would be OK if I had a go with my two portable gaz camping stoves like the ones we used to use to boil a kettle on whilst out fishing that come with these tube gaz canisters?

Like the advice on Meat and Fish, will give it a go.

Cheers for now WW

In Spain, and the Balearics gas rings are sold for paella in any size you want. They use butane/propane bottles.

[saucisson]

WW, if you were closer I'd be happy to lend you my cooker. In actual fact, so long as you can keep the temperature right, a round charcoal barbecue is actually better and certainly more authentic. So long as you use paella rice and enough good saffron you can follow just about any of the recipes, just give it the slant you fancy most. An authentic rustic touch (that I must admit I haven't tried) would be to feed garden snails on rosemary tips, then purge them (I'd have to check up on this bit) and use them instead of mussels. Apparently the rosemary gives them a unique flavour.

Dave

PS don't forget:

Sangria Recipe
Sangria is a very easy drink to make. In Spain, due to the hot weather, it has became one of the most popular drinks and has been exported around the world. Here is a nice recipe. But remember, don't buy it, make it yourself, experiment and have fun!!


INGREDIENTE
1 bottle of Red wine (cheap one)
* Lemonade� or some people use "lemon Fanta", "7 up" or "Sprite". It is up to you.
* 2 - 3 tablespoon sugar (the more sugar the sweeter will be).
* 1 orange cut in quarters.
* 1 Apple cut in quarters.
* 2 shots of Bacardi Rum, or Brandy
* Lots of ice.



METHODE
Get a big jar and pour the wine, fruit and the spirits. Store overnight in the fridge to chill.
Before serving add the lemonade and ice.

Edit:
Just noticed they don't say how much lemonade, try here for a myriad of Sangria recipes including an Atkins one!! http://www.lisashea.com/sangria/

[Fallow Buck]

This looked interesting. I haven't really gone through it so not sure how the prices stack up.

Rgds,FB

http://www.thepaellacompany.co.uk/Genuine_Spanish_Paella_Pans__G.22.0.html

[jenny_haddow]

The round barbecue works well, I use my paella pan on one for a variety of uses, including paella. If you have a height adjustment for the rack it is relatively easy to control the heat.

Some friends of ours produce snails in France and for the last few days before 'slaughter' they are fed on sweet hay as a purge. However, when I was over in Cyprus a few years ago snails were just collected from the hedgerows and chucked on the barbie in handfuls, not the best snails I ever had, but edible.

Cheers

Jen

[Paul Kribs]

Fallow Buck

This will give you an idea of prices.

http://www.armorica.co.uk/Pots_and_Pans/Paella_Pans/52

I managed to get mine from a Spanish stall at a boot fair some years ago.

Regards, Paul Kribs

[Fallow Buck]

Hi Jen,

In Cyprus we only eat the snails straight from collection after the first rains. that is the first night it rains and we'll collect them using pressure lamps at night. At this time they have beenhibernating and are naturally purged.

At all other time in the year we tend to store them in a box of wild thyme then purge them when the thyme is finished.

We have 3 types of snail in cyprus. The smallest are a white snail we tend to collect in orange groves. thheyare always purged when collected in Aug/Sep as they are sealed for the summer. they are usually about 10mm wide.

the medium sized ones are great cooked ina rissotto or a marrow and tomato/onion casserolle, with the base of the shell snipped off. by cutting the back you can just suck the snail out of the shell. My gran makes the best dish of these ever!!! they are usually about 15mm wide and are the best snails ever. IMHO!!! They are collected in the summer by looking under rocks and other objects but typically these are the places that the Vipers hide so great care needs to be taken!!!!


The last ones are the big ones that look like what we get in our gardens here in England ot escargot sized. they are not a particularly refined taste and we tend to just put sea salt in the shell and place them on the coals. I'm assuming these are the ones you saw. They can be a bit chewy.

Where did you go in Cyprus?

FB