2 1/2 cup fish stock
1/4 tsp saffron threads
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 tbsp lard
1/2 lb chorizo, cut into 1/4-inch s lices
1 1/2 lb pork loin, in 1-inch dice
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 large green bell peppers, julienne d
2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, an d chop, ped
3 large squid
2 cup long-grained rice
3/4 cup blanched almonds
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup artichoke hearts, drained ( canned, )
18 small clams or mussels, scrubbed w ell
1/2 cup peas
1/4 cup pimientos, julienned
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
Directions
Clean squid and cut body sacs into rings. Cut tentacles in half.
In a small saucepan, bring stock to a bare simmer. Crush saffron and
combine it with wine in a small bowl. In a flameproof casserole or
paella pan, heat the lard over moderately high heat. Saute the
chorizo and pork, turning them until they are browned. Add the
onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, and squid and cook the mixture over
moderate heat, stirring, for 15 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook
for 1 minute, stirring. Stir in almonds, pine nuts, garlic, saffron
mixture, and artichoke hearts. Ladle in enough stock to just cover
the rice mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer it, covered, for 20
minutes.
Arrange the clams in the rice, add the peas, and simmer for 10-15
minutes, or until the rice is just tender and the clams open. Discard
any clams that do not open. Garnish with pimientos and parsley.
Servings: 6 servings
Catalan Rice Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Rice; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
Transcribed cooking instructions as an idea can be observed back into history, in fact as far back as ancient Egypt, and quite possibly further than that. In practice though, in the main part, these old recipes were just very basic hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for meal preparation.
Fascinatingly, the most ancient recipe found, according to food historians is a collection of tablets in ancient Sumerian which describe the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making drinkers feel `blissful`. As we move into The time of the roman empire around 25BC a man called Apicius compiled a few scripts showing how to cook the recipes cooked by the Romans. In his publication, Apicius describes how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into hors d`oeuvre, entrees and afters, a very modern way of dining. Aspicius recounts how the Roman chefs made use of a good variety of herbs and spices, including some that we all recognise for example bay, rue and dill. In the 15th century, knights returning from the crusades brought us a variety of spices and herbs from the East, including coriander, parsley, basil and rosemary. The introduction of these new tastes caused an outbreak in cookery books, most of which are kept safe in academic collections. Over the following few centuries, the wealthy families of Wesstern Europe strove to offer the most exotic meals, and as a result the best cooks and their collection of recipes could command a high salary. Notwithstanding that, it wasn`t until the 1800s the formal cooking and recipe books reached a high level of popularity. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to collecting, verifying, and writing down recipes of the day. The arrival of TV brought us TV chefs and the recipe books that accompanied them. And that brings us to the present day and the invention of the internet, allowing us all to search through massive numbers of recipes such as those found on our web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Catalan Rice recipe.
