Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
4 lb chicken pieces
1 large onion, diced
3 red bell peppers, diced
5 cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken, broth
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 cup short-grain rice
2 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp saffron
3 lb plum tomatoes peeled, seeded & cho, pped
16 large shrimp
16 clams
16 mussels
1 lemon wedges for garnish
Directions
HEAT THE OIL in a casserole over medium heat and brown the chicken on
all sides, in batches if necessary. Remove the pieces as they are
done and add the onion and peppers. Cook 5 minutes, stirring.
Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a boil in a separate pot. When
the peppers and onions are done, reduce heat to low and add the
garlic, rice, salt and pepper. Stir to coat the rice with the oil.
Add the stock and the saffron. Add the tomatoes. Replace the chicken
pieces, cover and cook for 25 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook
another 10 minutes. If the pot has gotten too dry, add a little water
or more stock. Add the clams and mussels and cook until they open.
Remove from the heat and serve from the casserole. Accompany with
lemon wedges. ~--
Servings: 10 servings
Michael's Paella Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Fish; Spanish
The History of Recipes
It is quite feasible to follow the history of recipes far back into ancient history, at least as far back into history as the Egyptians, and potentially, even further back. In practice though, in the main part, these ancient recipes were just basic hieroglyphic recipes for food preparation.
Interestingly, the oldest recipe in existence, according to academics is a collection of ancient tablets in Sumerian which recount 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 anyone who tried it feel exhilarated and blissful. Progressing into The time of the romans around 25BC a roman called Apicius compiled some scripts describing recipes prepared by wealthy Romans. In his publication, Apicius tells us how the roman meals were separated into hors d`oeuvre, entrees and dessert, something that is very familiar to us today. Aspicius recounts how the cooks of Roman times were skilled in the use of many spices and herbs, including many that are still in use today like thyme, rue and asafoetida. Moving on, there were some recipe books from the fourteenth century - a cookery book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary titled `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are a little misleading though, these have no connection with the indian food that appears on menues today, but rather accounts of the types of food served to the rich people of those days. Later, in the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought us many foods, spices and herbs from Arab countries, including spices like coriander, basil and rosemary. The introduction of these new tastes caused an outbreak in publications on food, some of which still exist in private cookery archives. During the next few hundred years, the rich and powerful families of the West competed with each other to offer the best banquets, and as a consequence, the best chefs and their recipes were at a premium. Notwithstanding that, it wasn`t until the 1800s that fine cookery and recipe publications became really popular. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Farmer in the US, spent years to collating, testing, and recording recipes that were common in the better off homes of the day. By the time we get to the twentieth century, cookery books were in great demand, due to more people being able to read, people having increased leisure time and having more disposable income. |
We hope you enjoy this Michael's Paella recipe.
