Hints in making a great Paella

Hints in making a great Paella:-

1. Preperation
The key to pulling together a paella is to have all the ingredients laid out on the bench and ready to go before you start.
2(A). The Sofrito
The aromatic mixture of caramelised onions, garlic and tomatoes - is at the heart of the paella, lending a lovely texture and real richness of flavour to the dish.  Some recommend putting all the ingredients for the sofrito in a food processor - the tomatoes, piquillo peppers, garlic, parsley, chives, oil, saffron and paprika, others prefer the saffron be infused in the stock as in 2(A) below.
2 (B). Soak the saffron
Paella is famous for its beautiful, vibrant colour and much of this is due to the inclusion of saffron. To get the most out of your saffron, to give a lovely golden colour to the rice, soak the saffron threads in the stock for at least 10 minutes before cooking," he explained. "This releases the colour and flavour.

3. Use the correct rice

A very important part of paella is the rice," Rodriguez told HuffPost Australia. "Bomba is the best rice to use -- it's a short grain with super flavour soaking abilities and is able to hold its shape.  Otherwise a short-grain rice is best as it absorbs liquid easily and won't dry out. And, unlike risotto, stirring the rice is strictly forbidden.

4. Toast the rice
To give extra flavour to your paella, toast the rice in the pan with the tomato and olive oil for a few minutes first before adding the stock,
5. Add hot (not cold) stock to the paella
When adding the stock to your paella, make sure it's hot. It's important to keep the temperature consistent when cooking, so keep the stock in a saucepan on a low heat.
Remember, when first adding the stock, to stir and mix the rice, sofrito base and stock for a few minutes before leaving to settle and form a nice crust on the bottom called 'socorat'.
Sofrito is the base of paella and is made up of cooked onion, tomato, olive oil and small amounts of sweet paprika and garlic.
6. Use the right pan

While it's definitely possible to use a normal large pan, to make authentic paella you need a proper paella pan.  A good paella is in a pan with a large round, flat, dimpled base and only 3 or 4 centimetres of rice in depth.  The height is the most important element about the pan as the rice must have maximum contact with the bottom of the pan to achieve the soccarrada [the crust at the bottom of the pan]. The Spanish say that the rice should be only as thick as the width of one finger and spread in an even layer.  A paella pan of about 45cm in diameter is recommended.
7. Soccarrada Success
 A good paellero (paella cook) will tell you that the soccarrada is what separates an average cook from a maestro. The soccarrada caramelises the flavours from the garlic and the paprika and that strong flavour is going to give you extra layers of flavour.  when all the stock is gone and you finish cooking your paella turn the heat up and look at the bottom of the pan and see if the rice is sticking. Cook it on high for two minutes and then turn off the heat and rest it for five minutes. That extra five minutes will make all the difference to the paella as the flavours will settle and it will taste fantastic.

8. Troubleshooting
 Two common mistakes are not adding enough stock to the dish or overcrowding the pan. Maestre says you can always top up the dish with additional stock if it has evaporated ahead of the recommended cooking time.  To minimise failure, don't overcrowd the pan. If the pan is too crowded the rice will be cooked at the bottom and raw on top. You also need to rest the pan to ensure all those lovely flavours are allowed to develop.
9.  Cleaning a paella pan
Never scrub a paella pan. Wash it carefully with hot water only, clean and dry really well.  If you have a carbon steel paella pan, apply a little bit of olive oil so it does not rust.

Inspiration:  Huffington Post
                    Goodfood 

Paella Marinara

​Serves 3-4 (30cm Pan)

500g marinara mix (mussels, fish, calamari, prawns, scallops)
Splash of extra virgin olive oil
500ml chicken stock
220g Bomba rice
50g fresh or frozen peas
1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
½ bunch chives, garnish
Aioli and Sangria, to serve

For the sofrito
2 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
6 piquillo peppers
4 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
½ bunch parsley
1 bunch chives
25ml extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch saffron threads
1 tbsp  smoked paprika

Method 

To make the sofrito, place all the sofrito ingredients in a food processor and process until chunky. If you don't have a food processor, roughly chop the tomatoes and piquillo peppers and finely chop the garlic, parsley and chives then combine with other sofrito ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Place a 30-centimetre-wide  frying pan or paella pan over a high heat. Add the marinara mix with a splash of extra virgin olive oil and cook for one minute. Add sofrito and cook for a further three minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to the boil. Stir in rice and bring to a simmer on medium to low heat for 15 minutes until stock has absorbed.  Add peas and cook for a further two minutes to achieve "soccarrada" (crust on the bottom of the pan).  Season to taste with salt and garnish with chives. Squeeze over lemon juice just before serving. Serve with aioli and sangria, the Spanish way.

Chorizo and seafood paella recipe

Recipe by Gerard Rodriguez, Bohemian Spanish Restaurant and Bar head chef.
"This is a great dish to make for friends and family in the warmer months and enjoy with a glass of Spanish rosé or a nice crisp Albariño," Rodriguez told HuffPost Australia.

Making a sofrito

Basically a jam of onions, garlic and capsicum along with herbs and bay leaf. You can make this and freeze it as it could be seen as the Spanish version of a stock when cooking rice.

INGREDIENTS

• 125ml olive oil
• 2 white onions, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 4 bay leaves
• Bunch of thyme
• 4 large red capsicums, seeded and finely diced
• 4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, cored and diced

METHOD
1. Make sure all your ingredients are finely diced, then put in your paella pan and softly fry (or 'sofrito') over a very low heat. The whole process should take around an hour or more. The mixture will gradually turn into a jammy, darker coloured paste. Once it has darkened, take off the heat, let it cool and store in a container.

Making the paella

INGREDIENTS

• 750ml (3 cups) water
• ¼ tsp Spanish sweet or smoked paprika
• Pinch saffron threads (Iranian or Spanish)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 100g semi-cured chorizo, sliced into ½ cm rounds
• 2 squid or calamari tubes, sliced into 1 cm rounds
• ¼ cup sofrito (recipe above)
• 1 cup bomba rice or marisma rice
• 100ml white wine
• 8 large green prawns
• Salt, to taste
• 16 black mussels
• 1 roasted capsicum, diced
• Chopped parsley, to serve
• Lemon wedges, to serve

METHOD

1. Place a paella pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and chorizo and cook for five minutes until it releases some oil and looks crisp. Remove and set aside.
2. Add the sofrito to the pan and cook for five minutes, stirring regularly before adding the squid. Cook for three minutes. Add back the chorizo along with the saffron and then the rice.
3. Stir to make sure the rice is coated in the paprika coloured oils, then pour in the wine and cook until evaporated.
4. Pour in the water, stir, then spread the rice evenly over the base of the pan and bring to the boil. Cook for a few minutes until the rice begins to swell and absorbs some stock.
5. Add the prawns and two pinches of salt. Stir gently for the last time and reduce the heat to a steady simmer. Cook for 3–4 minutes until the rice begins to show as the stock reduces.
6. Add the mussels and continue to cook for 8–10 minutes until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
7. Reduce heat to low and cook for a further five minutes until a crust (known as a 'socarrat') forms on the bottom of the pan.
8. Sprinkle over the roasted capsicum, remove from the heat and rest for five minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Source for Recipe:- Huffington Post

Chorizo and Seafood Paella

See hints in making great Paella.

Chorizo and Seafood Paella

Serves 6  45cm pan

Ingredients

100g semi-cured chorizo, sliced into ½ cm rounds

2 squid or calamari tubes, sliced into 1 cm rounds

8 large green prawns

16 black mussels

1 tbsp olive oil

¼ cup sofrito (recipe above)

1 cup bomba rice or marisma rice

4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, cored and diced

Pinch saffron threads (Soaked in warm broth 5mins)

750ml (3 cups) water

100ml white wine

1 roasted capsicum, diced

Salt, to taste

Chopped parsley, to serve

Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

1. Place a paella pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and chorizo and cook for five minutes until it releases some oil and looks crisp. Remove and set aside. 2. Add the sofrito to the pan and cook for five minutes, stirring regularly before adding the squid. Cook for three minutes. Add back the chorizo  then the rice. 3. Crackle the rice and stir to make sure the rice is coated in the paprika coloured oils, then pour in the wine and cook until evaporated.  Stir in the tomatoes. 4. Pour in the warm water and saffron, stir, then spread the rice evenly over the base of the pan and bring to the boil. Cook for a few minutes until the rice begins to swell and absorbs some stock. 5. Add the prawns and two pinches of salt. Stir gently for the last time and reduce the heat to a steady simmer. Cook for 3–4 minutes until the rice begins to show as the stock reduces. 6. Add the mussels and continue to cook for 8–10 minutes until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. 7. Reduce heat to low and cook for a further five minutes until a crust (known as a 'socarrat') forms on the bottom of the pan. 8. Sprinkle over the roasted capsicum, remove from the heat and rest for five minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

For the sofrito

60ml olive oil

1 white onions, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 large red capsicums, seeded and finely diced

¼ tsp Spanish sweet or smoked paprika

2 bay leaves

Bunch of thyme

Make sure all your ingredients are finely diced, then put in your paella pan fry (or 'sofrito') until onions are soft.

Vegan, Gluten Free Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• ½ cup ground flax seeds
• ½ cup hazelnuts or almonds
• 1 ½ cups gluten free oats
• 2 Tbsp. chia seeds
• 4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks
• 1 tsp. fine grain sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup (for sugar-free diets, use a pinch of stevia)
• 3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil
• 1 ½ cups water

 Method:

In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together. Melt the coconut oil and combine with the maple syrup and water. Add to dry ingredients and mix well. The ‘dough’ should be moist but not sloppy.

Transfer the dough to the greased/lined pan and firmly press into the pan making sure it’s in all four corners.  Now we let it sit.  The chia seeds and psyllium husks will absorb the water and bind everything together. But this takes a bit of time. For at least two hours if possible, or up to overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.

Bake the bread for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and carefully remove the bread from the pan. Either cook upside down directly on the rack or on a cookie sheet for an additional 40 minutes.

You’ll know it’s ready when you tap the bread and it sounds hollow.

Let cool entirely before cutting.  The bread will firm up and cut into magnificent slices!

Source: (and Video)  Gluten Free For All TV

Flourless Bread -Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 90 grams of sesame seeds
• 90 grams of sunflower seeds
• 90 grams of walnuts
• 90 grams of pumpkin seeds
• 90 grams of flaxseed
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• 100 ml of water
• a pinch of salt

Method of preparation:

First, whisk the egg whites with the salt, and then add the water and the baking soda. All the seeds should be ground into fine powder (flour). Add them to the mixture, and mix all well.
Bake the bread for 50 minutes at 180 C (350 F). The taste of the bread is simply delicious!

Source:  Healthy Food House

Oat and Yoghurt Bread

Ingredients:

300g Porridge Oats (use Gluten Free if needed)
500g Fat Free Natural Yogurt (you can use low fat or a dairy free like Alpro)
2 teaspoons Bread Soda, sifted
Pinch of salt (optional)
Variations of this recipe at the end.

Method:

Simply mix all the dry ingredients together first and then add the wet ones. It’s a sloppy consistency but make sure to mix really well so all the yoghurt is incorporated with the porridge oats and bread soda.

Prepare a 2lb loaf tin. I greased and floured mine but I’ve also used greaseproof paper with a lightly greased tin and the bought ones too.

The recipe originally stated you set the oven at 180C and bake for 55 mins. I have a Fan Oven and I found it worked better to lower the oven to 170C and bake for 50 mins to 1 hour. Use a skewer to check it’s cooked through. If you feel it’s going brown on top, then just cover with a little tin foil for the last 10 mins.

Once baked, leave to cool in tin for approximately 10 mins and then remove to wire rack to cool completely. It can break if you try to remove before this as it can be quite soft.
Here is a YouTube video showing how to make this recipe, the sweet and savoury variations and options for school lunches, healthy lunches, breakfast on the go and more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdUy9liygC0&feature=youtu.be

Variations:

I used half a tub of sundried tomatoes and used approx a teaspoon of dried rosemary to make a savoury one.

You could use black olives and oregano with a teaspoon of tomato puree, different types of mixed seeds, honey & cinnamon, sultanas, raisins, dried cranberries or dried blueberries, mixed spice, dates …. just remember that what you add will also increase the calorie count if that needs to be considered.

Source:  Cozebakes

African Peanut and Sweet Potato Stew

Prep time10 mins,  Cook time45 mins,  Total time55 mins,  Serves: 4
 

This delicious vegan and gluten-free stew is made of pantry staples. It's hearty enough to hold-up on its own, or serve it with rice or quinoa and get more servings out of it.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, very finely minced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
• ½ tsp crushed red chili pepper
• 1 – 14.5 oz (400 g) can crushed or diced tomatoes
• ½ cup peanut butter (or almond or sunflower butter)
• 1 tsp dried coriander (optional)
• 2 cups vegetable broth (or water)
• 1 medium sweet potato (about 1 lb), peeled and diced
• 1 can kidney or black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 ½ cups frozen peas (or frozen/canned corn)
• 2 cups hearty leafy greens (spinach, arugula, kale, collard)
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. If you're using a can of diced tomatoes, blend them along with their juice for a few seconds in the food processor or blender, just to break them up.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft but not brown, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, ginger and chili and cook for about 5 minutes to soften.
4. Add the tomatoes, stir to combine then add the peanut butter (and coriander, if using), stirring it in until smooth.
5. Stir in the broth add sweet potatoes. Cover the pan and simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender but not falling apart, about 15 minutes.
6. Add the black beans, peas/corn, greens and cook until the beans and peas/corn are heated through and the greens are wilted.
7. Season with salt and pepper, and add additional crushed chili flakes, as per your heat preference.

Notes

Adapted from http://www.sunbutter.com/recipes-African-Stew

Source:  Vegangela
 See also, Collective Evolution for other good vegan one pot cooking.