Paella Ala L (Version 1)

This recipe was inspired by Paella ala Majorcana from my recipe book from CACs (where i took up Basics in Cooking and Baking) and made several changes according to the availability of ingredients from the grocery and my own gut feel!!! It was a merry merry merry Christmas eve since I got to appreciate my own cooking. 1st try and i can say that it was a success. I was so afraid of cooking up Paella before and with courage i plunged on to try it this Christmas.... and with love, i shared it with my family. :)

So I'm sharing my experience with you with this recipe.

Ingredients:

Meat / Seafood

1/4 k pork menudo cut

1/4 k chicken thigh with skin (cut into 4 per piece)

3 pcs Chinese Chorizo Sausage (sliced diagonally)

2 pcs. Pusit / Squid (big)

12 pcs. Shrimps

Vegetables

1 pc. garlic (chopped)

2 pcs. onion (chopped)

2 pcs. red bell pepper (diced into 8 per piece)

Others

1 cup olive oil

1 pack (about 1 teaspoon) saffron

4 cups uncooked rice

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 liters chicken broth (2 pcs. knorr chicken cubes in 2 liters water)

1/2 cup green peas (boiled)

2 pcs. hard boiled eggs

Instruction:

1. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil. Saute garlic until gold brown and saute the Shrimp and Pusit until half cooked and mix in the red bell peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside in a bowl.

2. Using the same skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil. Saute the half of the onion until translucent.

3. Saute in the meat and chicken until cooked (about 8-10 minutes). Season with salt and pepper, cayenne pepper and the saffron. Set aside together with the seafood in a bowl.

4. In the same skillet or paellera (if you have one), heat remaining olive oil (1/2 cup). Saute onion until translucent. Saute the Chinese chorizo sausages. Place in 4 cups of rice and make sure that all the grain are well coated with oil. Pour in the chicken broth by cup. 1 cup at a time while constantly stirring the rice. Make sure that there is just enough stock to cook the rice at one time. You will have to pour in the stock in 6 batches as you patiently wait for the rice to cook. Turn off the heat.

5. Mix in the seafood and meat with the rice and place it in a oven safe plate or you can use the paellera (if you're using one).

6. Bake in the over for 50-60 minutes at 350-450 temperature.

7. Top the paella with green peas and egg before serving. :)

Too bad, it didnt make it to anyone's camera. Next time! :)

Thank you to my sisters - Elyse, Ernaline, Eunice - and helper - Jovie and my mom and dad for appreciating the food! Eda, I'll cook up for you some time. Wish you were here for Christmas.