Diana's Authentic Spanish Paella

Ted McAdam is a classmate from the United States Air Force Academy.  Ted and his wife, Diana, lived in Spain during a tour of duty with the Air Force.  While there, Diana was taught to make this paella by Dolores Urrea, in Zaragoza.
Lentil Salad
    The Setup
  • Paella pan
  • Weber pot with charcoal for direct heat
  • Hunger
    The Ingredients
  • Olive Oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan)
  • 3 or 4 garlic cloves, lightly smashed so that they are easy to remove before burning
  • Chicken thighs, seasoned with salt and pepper.  Allow 1 per person plus extra for leftovers
  • 1/4 pound Serrano ham cut into nice size cubes (prosciutto can be substituted)
  • Spanish chorizo sliced in about 1/2 inch pieces (or if using mini-chorizo, just cut them in half after removing the skin)
  • Spanish paella rice (Calasparra or Bomba from LaTienda.com—Arborio can be substituted)
  • Chicken stock (2 cups for each cup of rice)
  • Saffron (2 or 3 nice size pinches, depending on taste), soaked in the chicken stock
  • Green beans
  • Green peas
  • Artichoke hearts cut into halves or quarters
  • Roasted red peppers
  • Squid sliced into 3/4" to 1" wide rings, plus tentacles
  • Shrimp with shell on
  • Mussels
  • Lemon wedges
    The Process
  • Place everything in small bowls.
  • Start the charcoal and when white hot, spread coals out in one layer.
  • Place the paella pan onto the rack above the coals.
  • Add the olive oil and heat the oil.
  • Add the garlic to the pan and cook briefly to flavor the oil.  Do not burn!  Remove the cooked garlic.
  • Brown the chicken thighs (start skin down) adding the chorizo and ham after turning the chicken.  You can control the heat with the lid of the pot and vent holes.
  • Brown the chicken, chorizo and ham.  Chicken will finish cooking throughout the rest of the process.  Replace the lid on the Weber pot with each new addition of ingredients.
  • Add the rice (3 cups for a 16" paella pan).
  • Add 4 cups of chicken broth with saffron (reserving the remaining 2 cups to add as needed and as pan depth will allow).
  • Cover and bring liquid to a simmer.
  • Add more stock as the rice absorbs the liquid.  You can also use water instead of more stock.
  • As the rice begins to swell, add the artichoke hearts, green beans, green peas and red peppers.  Push these items down into the rice and liquid.
  • Cover and continue cooking at a simmer.
  • After all the liquid has been added, and the rice is almost finished, add the shrimp and squid on top.
  • As the rice finishes cooking (about 30 minutes total time—rice will be tender when you bite it), add the mussels on top.
  • Cook with the top on the pot until the mussels open.
  • If a wooden spoon stands upright in the rice, the paella is done.
  • Letting the pan sit over the coals a bit after the rice is cooked helps to make the "crust."
  • Remove from heat and let stand covered with foil for at least 15 minutes—longer is OK.
  • Serve with lemon wedges, Spanish salad, salt and pepper and lots of Spanish wine.
    Additional and Optional Accompaniments
  • Sangria of your liking—necessary for the cook and on-lookers.
  • Spanish tortilla as an hors d'ouvre.
  • Gazpacho as a first course.
  • Flan or other Spanish dessert
  • Traditional Spanish wine called "vino Tinto," and lots of it during the meal.
  • Caesar salad also goes great with the paella.
  • French bread cut into slices for sopping up the oil and wine vinegar in the Spanish salad.
    Ratios
  • A 13" paella pan serves two to four people, and requires four to five pieces of chicken, 1 and 1/2 cups of rice and 3 cups of chicken broth.
  • A 16" paella pan serves six to eight people, and requires eight to ten pieces of chicken, 3 cups of rice and 6 cups of chicken broth.
  • Plan on 1/3 to 1/2 cup of uncooked rice per person.

This is a very generous meal and promises to satisfy.  Leftovers are really outstanding!