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!
Hi! I am a spanish guy working right now as a spanish teaching assistant in Manchester and just wanted to say your blog looks great! Echo mucho de menos la paella ya que soy de alicante, ¡me encanta la de marisco! Saludos, Pablo.
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