Mmm... paella

I had my first taste of paella on my honeymoon in Malaga, Spain. While I am not a fan of seafood, my husband LOVES it. And, since I love him, I'll allow him to get seafood every now and then. (Aren't I nice?) He ordered paella marisco (seafood paella) and with my first bite of the paella rice, I feel in love! Then I found out that there are different types of paella that have more than just seafood. Actually, the traditional version of paella has rabbit, chicken, and (land) snails. If you want to learn more about paella, check out this website. Basically, it is a traditional Spanish dish that has its roots in Valencia. Most of the ingredients in paella are pretty basic (chicken, shrimp, rice, veggies, etc...) but one thing that makes this dish so special is one of the spices... saffron. Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world but really elevates whatever dish in which it is used. I've had paella once since I've been back in the US, but it didn't measure up to what I had in Spain. So, I thought I'd try to make it myself! My husband and I love experimenting with new recipes and are pretty decent cooks. I don't think I'd call us chefs yet, but we're working our way up there.


We started by purchasing this paella pan from Williams and Sonoma. I could spend all day in that store but we had to get back to start cooking! It is important to use a paella pan, or at least a wide, shallow skillet to allow the rice to spread thinly.


Our next step was to find a recipe. After much research on foodnetwork.com, we finally decided to modify Tyler Florence's recipe a little bit.

We started by seasoning the chicken because that needed to marinade for about an hour.

Then we chopped all the veggies (onion, garlic, red and green bell pepper).

Next, it was time to start cooking! First, saute the chorizo and sear the chicken, skin-side down in the paella pan. Set them on a cutting board once they're cooked because you won't need them again until later.

In the same pan, make a sofrito by sauteing the onion, garlic, and peppers. Then, add tomatoes and cook a little longer.

Fold in the rice and stir-fry it until the rice is a little toasted. Then, add chicken stock and stir every now and then so the rice absorbs the liquid evenly. 

Next, tuck the meat into the rice. Don't stir anymore because you want the rice to form a toasty bottom! (Add the shrimp after about 10 minutes, because it doesn't take as long to cook.) - although be careful not to burn the bottom. I struggle with this part. When the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell a nice brown bottom.  Finally, garnish with peas, lemon wedges, and parsley and enjoy! Yum! It was delicious and turned out to be a huge success. My brother, husband, and I all certainly enjoyed it!

While I don't think that I will ever make paella for my students, having the experience of actually making the paella myself will allow me to better explain just what exactly is this amazing dish. Culture is never touched on enough in classrooms (I am certainly guilty of skipping over it more than I should - I'm working on that, I promise!) but food is a great way to bring it back to the classroom. Reading stories, using play-dough to make it, drawing it... the possibilities are endless! My favorite food activity in a Spanish classroom when I was a student was to have a restaurant where students bring in Hispanic foods then pretend to be waiters and customers for a lesson. Lots of fun, lots of food, and best of all, lots of speaking Spanish!