Paella from the Heart

There are some foods that just taste better when you cook from the heart not a recipe card. I feel like Paella is a perfect entry point to learning to cook from the heart because it is such a flexible food.

Key to a paella sits only the following factors:

• Saffron

• Rice

• Paprika

• Salt

• Pepper

• Other spices for extra kick

Once you have those core ingredients, you can add vegetables, meats, other spices to fit your pallet. The sky is the limit in what you can create!

To get you started, here is my process:

1. I take a shot glass of warm water and put in a pinch of saffron threads to “open" them so they become more flavorful in the dish.

2. In a paella pan (if your fancy) or a large skillet if you are me, put chopped onions and olive oil over a low heat stirring occasionally until they turn a translucent caramel color.

3. Add mince garlic and allow the fragrance to come out so you can smell the garlic coming out of the pan.

4. If you are adding meats, I like chicken thighs and chorizo, turn the heat up to medium and add bite size pieces of the meat to the onion and garlic and allow the meat to “brown” aka lightly cook. Don’t worry about if it is perfectly cooked through as the meat will continue to cook through the next steps.

   1. Duck and rabbit make for an “impressive” paella if you need to make it really seem like you have next level cooking skills.

5. Add in your vegetables, peas are a common choice, but I find them hard to find fresh in my area so I tend to lean towards bell pepper, and any pre-cooked meats (sometimes, I get the chorizo in a dried sausage form or add in some prosciutto)

6. Add 2 cups of rice, your saffron water from the shot glass (threads and all), and 4.5 cups of water. This is the only measuring I do.

7. Add a base level of spice to the top. I like to cover the top of the rice water and then stir it in. Don’t worry too much about adding enough as you will be able to add more at the end.

8. Bring the water to a boil and turn down to a simmer and cover. If you are adding seafood, such as clams, that need to steam, this is where you add them. I’m allergic to seafood, so I haven’t actually done this one, but clams should open when they are ready.

9. Come back regularly to check on the progress of the rice and check the spice level as you stir. If you want to add more add some. If you like the way it tastes, you just won Paella the Cooking Game! Sometimes (depending on the elevation/humidity) I do need to add a bit more water.

10. Enjoy your beautiful paella just the way you like it.