8 cup fish or chicken stock
1 tbsp saffron threads
3 tbsp olive oil
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 onions, medium, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
8 chicken pieces, boned
8 chorizo sausages in chunks
8 oz squid, cut into rings
4 cup rice
4 tomatoes, peeled, in chunks
1 salt
1 cup green peas, shelled
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
1 parsley, chopped
1 1/2 lb rockfish, cut into chunks
2 lb mussels, rinsed, debearded
2 lb shrimps, large, peeled
Directions
Bring the stock to a boil, add $affron, simmer 10 minutes, and set
aside. In a large paella pan or other large pan, heat the olive oil.
Add the garlic and saute just till it begins to color. Add the onions
and saute to soften. Add the peppers and cook slightly, then remove
the vegetables form the pan and set aside. Add the chicken and brown,
remove from pan. Add sausage chunks and brown, remove from pan. Add
the squid and toss briefly. Add rice, tomatoes, stock, salt, sausage,
chicken, the reserved vegetables, peas, olives, and parsley,
reserving some of the parsley for garnish. Stir, cover, and bring to
a boil. Remove cover and arrange rockfish pieces on top. Replace
cover and cook about 5 minutes more. Uncover and add mussels, cover
and cook 5 minutes. Add the peeled and deveined large shrimps, cover
and cook until mussels open, shrimp are cooked, and rice is tender.
Add more stock or water at any point if the rice appears too dry. The
rice should be moist, not soupy. Let the paella stand covered about 5
minutes before serving. Sprinkle with remaining parsley. Place pan on
a pad in center of table and remove lid with a flourish!
Servings: 8 servings
New Year's Paella Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Fish; Holiday; Spanish
The History of Recipes
Written cooking instructions as a concept can be found way back into the distant past, in truth as far as ancient Egypt, and possibly even further. However, in the main part, these early records were just simple hieroglyphic recipes for preparing meals.
Fascinatingly, the most ancient recipe discovered so far, according to Professor Solomon Katz, is a collection of clay tablets in Sumerian which describe the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made those who drank it feel `blissful`. Progressing into The time of the roman empire around 25BC a man called Apicius assembled a collection of scripts which described recipes prepared by wealthy Romans. He describes how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into starters, main course and dessert, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. He also recounts how the cooks of Roman times made use of many different spices and herbs, including a few you will know for example thyme, fennel and asafoetida. In the 15th century, the Crusaders brought back many new spices and herbs from Arab cuisine, such as basil and coriander. These new herbs and spices was responsible for an increase in recipe manuscripts, the majority of which are kept safe in private cookery archives. Over the following few centuries, the powerful families of the West tried to lay on the most exotic meals, and because of this cooks and their recipe collections were highly sought after. Nevertheless, it was during the nineteenth century that fine cookery and cookery books reached a high level of popularity. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to collating, testing, and writing down recipes common in their social group. When we get to the 1900s, recipe books are increasing in popularity mostly due to higher levels of literacy, more free time and being a little richer. |
We hope you enjoy this New Year's Paella recipe.
