It’s a paella mixta, so can put loads in it, whatever you fancy really, perfect for a big Sunday lunch (plan a decent siesta afterwards too – that’s the vital ingredient) - Can make it for however many people, a frying pan for 2, the pan pictured below for 10 etc.- Andrew Davies.
Pictured: Paella Mixta cooked on an open flame in Ibiza, Spain by Andrew Davies.
Suggested amounts for a paella to serve 8: -
The meat/seafood you can take your pick really …
Chicken, rabbit, lamb , pork… but chicken the most important - cut into large bite sixed pieces, average 100g - 150g pp (per person)
Gambas (prawns), cockles/shellfish, calamari, mussels, squid, crab…can also have full pieces of fish but they work better with a strictly seafood paella - 3 prawns pp, 3 mussels/cockles pp, 100g fish pp
2 ltrs (8 cups) chicken stock
2 tsp saffron
Vegetables –
olive oil
4 Garlic sliced
large pinch salt
2 onions finely chopped
1 chopped red pepper
300g sliced green beans
6 tomatoes flesh grated, discard the skin
2 cups/400g Calasparra rice*
300g peas
lemons
optional-
2 chorizo, cut into 2cm pieces
2 tsp Spanish smoked sweet paprika
*Calasparra rice is a short-grain Spanish rice available from Simon Johnson and Spanish delicatessens.
Pictured: Paella for 500!
Combine chicken stock and saffron in a large saucepan and bring to the boil, then simmer over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until saffron has infused and coloured the stock.
Cover the base of the pan in oil; throw in garlic & some salt, then your seafood to quickly cook these, a couple of minutes.
When the shellfish/calamari/prawns have cooked/opened etc take out of pan & put aside until the end, then throw in your meats until browned.
Add the onion, beans & pepper, chorizo if using, & keep moving, have some water boiling ready to fill the pan up soon, this can have a chicken stock in it, or you could’ve made a little seafood stock for the water too, not vital though, as the taste comes from everything simmering away together.
If the pan is getting a little black, add the tomatoes, use the juice from the tomatoes to scrape clean the blackening pan, all adds to the taste!
Then fill it with water & let it simmer away, have extra hot water ready to top up pan as it’ll evaporate a little. Powder a little saffron and add, keep adding salt to taste while this simmers for maybe 20 minutes, half an hour...
When the meat is looking cooked add the rice evenly throughout, then throw your seafood goodies back on top, add the peas and paprika if using, and leave until the rice has cooked & soaked up all the water. No stirring, but keep an eye out that is not too hot and the rice is burning onto the bottom, can shake the pan a few times to mind this...
When the rice looks cooked take it off the heat & cover with something for a few minutes which’ll make sure the top layer of rice is perfectly cooked, mmmm que bueno, now get into it!
Slice some lemons for people to juice on their own serving, make sure the chef is well watered throughout, i bon profit!
Serves 8
Pictured: Ceramic Bull Plate from Rhonda, Spain