a little taste of Spain

Paella Valencia (my version)

2 Tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
16 ounces boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup onion, julienned
8 ounces white wine
10 ounces petite canned diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika
pinch saffron (crush before adding)
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 ounces uncooked short grain rice
20 ounces chicken broth
about 10 medium shrimp (peeled and deveined)
about 12 bay scallops
1/2 lemon, cut into 8 wedges

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a paella pan, heat the olive oil and saute the chicken until it is golden. Add garlic, bay leaf and onion. Saute until onions are transparent. Add white wine, tomatoes, saffron, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Then, add rice and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add seafood and cover the paella pan with foil and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Garnish with sliced lemon wedges and serve.

Results: The rice turned out great, but I definitely needed to use more spice overall, so I upped the numbers in the ingredient list above. The seafood was cooked fine; I would probably use sea scallops quartered next time just because I Like their flavor better. Not too shabby for my first attempt! :)

Note: We borrowed a friend’s paella pan for this as you really need a flat bottomed pan to make sure the rice cooks evenly.