2 cup raw long-grain rice
1 lb fresh mussels
18 small hard-shell clams, thoroughly rinsed, & scrubbed
2 lb fresh halibut cut into bite-size cu, bes
1 salt
1 freshly ground white pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lb fresh shrimp, peeled, with tails le, ft on
1 large onion, finely minced
1 tsp finely minced garlic
1 red pepper, finely sliced
4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and c, hopped
1/4 lb proscuitto
2 small hot dry chili peppers
1/2 tsp saffron
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
3 cup hot chicken stock, up to
4 cup stock
1/2 lb finely sliced chorizo
1 cup shelled peas (blanched in boiling w, ater for 5 mins)
GARNISH
1 pimiento strips
2 lemons, quartered
Directions
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Wash the rice thoroughly under cold
running water and drain. Reserve. Wash both the mussels and clams
thoroughly until all sand has been removed. Do not soak them in cold
water. Dry the fish pieces thoroughly with paper towels and season
with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 c olive oil. When
it is very hot add the fish cubes and brown them on all sides.
Remove them to a side dish and reserve. To the fat remaining in the
skillet add the shrimp and cook them over medium heat until they turn
bright pink. Season with salt and white pepper. Remove the cooked
shrimp to a side dish and reserve. Add 2 T olive oil to the skillet.
Add the onion, garlic and red pepper slices and cook until the onions
are very soft and lightly browned. Be sure not to burn the mixture.
Add the tomatoes and proscuitto, chilies and saffron. Season the
mixture with salt and pepper, oregano and basil. Bring to a boil and
cook, stirring constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan well, until
most of the tomato juice has evaporated. Add the rice and 3 1/2 cups
of chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil again and cook over
medium heat until 1/2 of the broth is absorbed. Pour half the rice
mixture into an earthenware casserole. Make a layer of fish cubes
and Chorizo and top with the remaining rice. Cover the casserole and
bake the rice for 25 minutes. Uncover the casserole and fold the
shrimp and peas lightly into the rice. Cover again and continue
baking for 10 to 15 minutes or until the rice is tender and all the
broth has been absorbed. If the rice seems dry, yet still too crisp,
add the remaining chicken stock. Uncover the casserole and bury the
clams and mussels in the rice. Cover the casserole again and cook for
another 10 to 15 minutes or until the shells of both mussels and
clams have opened. Discard any mussels or clams that have not
opened. Garnish the paella with pimiento strips and lemon quarters.
Serve directly from the casserole.
Servings: 6 servings
Paella A La Basquaise Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Fish; Halibut; Spanish
The History of Recipes
Transcribed cooking instructions as an idea can be observed far back into the far past, in fact as far back as ancient Egypt, and possibly even further. Interesting though that maybe, sadly, these ancient records were just very basic hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing meals.
Progressing into Roman times around 25BC a man called Apicius compiled some scripts which described recipes enjoyed by the Romans. In his scrolls, he recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into appetizers, main meal and afters, something we still use today. He also tells us how the Roman chefs were skilled in the use of a wide range of aromatic flavours, including some familiar names such as basil, fennel and parsley. For the centuries that followed, the rich families of Europe tried to serve up the best banquets, and consequentially the best cooks and their collection of recipes increased in prestige. Even so, it was during the 19th century that formal cookery and recipe books became really popular. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, spent years to assembling, trying out, and writing down popular recipes of the day. The introduction of the TV brought us celebrity chefs and the spin-off recipe books. And that neatly brings us to the present day and the invention of computers and the internet, allowing us all to access thousands of recipes just like those on our site. |
We hope you enjoy this Paella A La Basquaise recipe.
