Carmen's Paella
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Mains
Cuisine
Spanish
Author:
Egor Rodichkin
Servings
8-10
Prep Time
1 hour
Cook Time
1 hour
This recipe is an old party trick of mine that I learned during a university exchange in Madrid in the early days - Carmen’s Paella. Carmen was the most adorable host who ran a student pension. She barely made money because she insisted on feeding us incredibly well. That dish carries heart, generosity and a lot of nostalgia.
This Paella serves well a party of 8-10 guests depending on what you have lined up to share as snacks and sweets - you will need an 18” paella pan for best results - or you can adjust the recipe using 1kg calasparra rice as the measurement base. The recipe consists of two stages, making the Sofrito first and then the Paella. Sofrito is the base of the paella and carries the depth of flavour - it can be done ahead of time several days before to get you ready.
I am obsessed with their agrumato olive oils. When we talk about quality ingredients that finish a dish, this is it. Incredible flavour and so versatile.
Ingredients
Sofrito
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1 kg ripe Roma tomatoes or 2 × 400 g tins peeled whole tomatoes
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2 small brown onions, roughly diced
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6 garlic cloves, roughly sliced
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1 × 320 g jar El Navarrico piquillo peppers, finely chopped (reserve 1–2 whole for garnish)
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¼ bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked
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½ g saffron threads
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1 tsp Los Novios sweet paprika
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Extra virgin olive oil - a generous amount
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Pink salt
Paella
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200g chorizo, sliced
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300g chicken thighs, skin on, diced
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500g mussels, cleaned and de-bearded
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800g whole baby squid (yields approx. 500 g once cleaned), cleaned, sliced into rings, tentacles reserved
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500g small raw prawns, peeled and de-veined
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300g large raw prawns, shell on (for finishing)
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1 kg Calasparra rice
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2.5 litres good quality fish stock, kept hot
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200g green peas
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200 g green beans, trimmed and cut into 3–4 cm lengths
Directions
Sofrito
Prepare the tomatoes. If using fresh Roma tomatoes, score a small cross at the base of each. Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds, refresh in iced water, then peel. Keep the seeds and finely chop or crash with your hands. Set aside. If using tinned peeled tomatoes, crush by hand to a coarse texture.
Prep the aromatics
Rough dice the brown onions.
Rough chop garlic.
Rough chop the piquillo peppers, reserving 1–2 whole for garnish later.
Strip thyme leaves from the stems and roughly chop.
Bloom the saffron. Lightly toast the saffron threads in a dry pan for 20–30 seconds until aromatic. Crush gently and steep in 2 tablespoons of warm water. Set aside.
Build the base. In a wide heavy-based pan, heat a generous amount of olive oil over medium-low heat.
Add the onion with a small pinch of salt. Cook slowly for 15–20 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft, translucent and lightly golden. No colour rushing here.
Add garlic and peppers
Add the garlic and cook gently for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
Stir in the chopped piquillo peppers and thyme. Cook for another 5 minutes to soften and sweeten.
Add the sweet paprika and stir immediately so it toasts gently in the oil without burning. This should take no more than 30 seconds.
Add the tomatoes and the saffron with its soaking liquid. Season lightly.
Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered for 45–75 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until jammy.
The sofrito is ready when the liquid has reduced significantly & the oil begins to separate slightly at the edges. The mixture will be thick, glossy and deep brick-red and hold its shape when dragged across the pan.
You are looking for concentrated sweetness and depth, not acidity.
To finish taste and adjust salt. If needed, add a small extra drizzle of olive oil to enrich.
Paella
Brown the meats.
Heat olive oil in a large paella pan over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken and chorizo together. Cook until the chicken is well coloured and the chorizo has released its oils.
Cook the mussels.
Add the cleaned mussels straight into the pan with the meats.
Remove the mussels as they open and reserve for finishing. Discard any unopened ones.
Add the Sofrito.
Add the entire prepared Sofrito to the pan.
Stir well so it coats the chicken and chorizo and warms through in the rendered oils.
Add the rice.
Add the Calasparra rice and stir to coat every grain in the Sofrito.
Spread evenly across the pan.
Add the seafood.
Scatter the sliced squid and peeled prawns evenly over the rice.
Add the stock.
Pour over the hot fish stock so the rice is fully submerged and level.
Cook. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, then reduce slightly and cook until the rice is almost tender and most of the liquid absorbed, around 18–20 minutes total. Give the pan a gentle shake to distribute. Do not stir from this point.
To finish top with green beans, peas, reserved mussels, squid tentacles and the large shell-on prawns.
Cook a further 5 minutes until the prawns are just done and the vegetables are tender.
Increase heat briefly to encourage a light crust on the base if desired.
Rest. Remove from heat and rest 5–10 minutes before serving.