@Aunt Bea sure.
I start by prepping all my ingredients. Onion, red capsicum, garlic, peas and whatever other veggies I need to use. Being that paella started as a bit of a “use up whatever you have” dish, there is really no standard recipe, but of course you may find cork sniffers insist on “traditional” variants. I too use that seafood marinara pre-mix, especially since seafood is eye-wateringly expensive down here nowadays.
I use a cast iron paella pan, but a large skillet will suffice equally as well. Heat the skillet over medium heat, add a decent glug of olive oil and warm up.
Onions in first, allow to brown before adding capsicum, peas and lastly garlic, letting them soften.
I add sliced chorizo here, and you can use chicken also if you wish. I find it better to use cooked chicken that you might have had as a roast at some point, but it is certainly optional.
Once everything is motoring along, add crushed tomatoes and some purée. Here is where I also add herbs - dried tarragon and absolutely definitely smoky paprika (best you can find!) Lower the heat to simmer.
Next, add your rice, Arborio or other short grain rice. Stir all together to coat the rice, then move to the “risotto” style of cooking - one cup of white wine at a time, alternating with good chicken or vegetable stock and continue until you get it like a risotto. Don’t stir the rice at all by this stage.
Lastly, I add the seafood, judging how long you will need to cook gently without sending the seafood tough (about five minutes generally).
Lastly, to achieve your soffrito, raise the temperature to medium high for exactly ONE minute, before killing the heat entirely and cover the pan with foil and let rest for about 5-7 minutes.
Serve with parsley garnish and lemon or lime wedges.
Enjoy!
As mentioned, there are as many recipes and techniques as you can imagine and I found that some trial and error is required to achieve your preferred outcome.
Paella is a very forgiving dish, and you can omit the wine or use dry sherry or just more stock. If I am using black shell mussels, I will steam them separately and add to the dish at the end. The smoky paprika and rice are the most important ingredients in my opinion, using good quality items here is important. If you can find bomba rice and are prepared to sell a kidney for it, all the better. Arborio or even sushi rice are great options too.
Have fun with it and make it your own. It’s a great wow dish for guests and parties.
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