cook: paella

Yesterday was my wedding anniversary. Patrick asked if I wanted to go out to dinner, and I said hell to the noooooo. I’m back to being a bit paranoid with the Omicron variant making Covid more transmissible. However, I’m not going to schedule my booster (and flu and other vaccines) until after December. My favorite exercise instructor will be gone in January, and so I’m taking as many of his aqua, dance, and core fitness classes I can in his last month at my gym. Sigh. I like the community college gym; it’s conveniently close, and I love its two Olympic sized pools. The other gym where my favorite instructor works is in a neighboring city with congested highway ramps in and out and doesn’t have as nice a pool. Anyway back to our celebration dinner. One dish I feel proficient at cooking is a paella. Coincidentally, Patrick just grew crocuses from which he painstakingly plucked its stamens.                                

In addition to the saffron, I happened to already have seafood in my freezer, a box of seafood stock, and Spanish rice.                   

The recipe in my America’s Test Kitchen also called for 8 medium cloves of garlic, a yellow onion, vegetables like a red bell pepper, which I had though it was green, and the requisite green peas. I decided to also add sugar snap peas, chives, and parsley.                   

I always get the stock hot, ready to pour onto and cook the rice. And of course, the chopping of the aromatics and vegetables for a mise en place.

First things first, I seared the scallops. And soaked the saffron threads in a bit of hot broth.                                  

Next the sofrito or sautéing of the onions and garlic before adding the rice so the grains can be coated with the oil and toast. Then the addition of white wine and half the can of chopped tomatoes. A fond was forming at the bottom of the pan, which is a signal to add stock to deglaze its browned bits.

I tried to add the vegetables toward the end of cooking the rice because I don't like my vegetables too soft and for them to retain their vibrant color. The prawns, mussels, clams, and squid were already precooked and went into the rice along with the scallops the last 5 minutes to get hot. Dinner is done and ready to serve with wedges of Meyer lemon.

The last time I cooked paella, I shared the meal with my friends, Cecilia and Rosanna. I halved the recipe for our anniversary to 4 servings instead of 8--and so 2 for leftovers during the week.

And coincidentally the next night, Rosanna stopped by and rhapsodized about my paella, which I mentioned that I had just cooked and which made her pout. Of course, I'm going to have to make it again. I think this time it will be for Cecilia's birthday and to which I must invite Rosanna.