Paella

I had some friends over this weekend for a midsummer Paella. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to write my first post for Ambitious Foodie.

Since it varies a lot with my mood, I’m going to post a flexible recipe for paella:

2 C of Arborio rice (short grain)
3 C of water +/-
3 C of stock
Saffron to taste (you don’t need much)
Veggies and beans
Meats (Chicken and Meatballs are my standards)
Olive oil

Process:
Cook the meats you have selected and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a pan, then add the raw rice. Stir the rice constantly until it becomes opaque.
Add the stock and vegetables, and cook uncovered adding water as necessary.
Before adding the last cup of water add the meat back in.
It is finished when 1) the rice is no longer crunchy, and 2) a little bit of the rice is getting browned to the bottom of the pan.

What were the variations?

For vegetables I included sliced red and yellow peppers, green beans, and Lima beans. I never get to fancy here.

For meats, I like to have a theme of some sort. Once I made a paella with three different types of meat prepared in the style of three Mediterranean styles. This time I went themeless: I made chicken and meat balls. The chicken was a sliced fryer that I marinated in harissa. The meatballs were made from Alton Brown's recipe. We made a double batch of meatballs on accident, intending to have some left over. They were so popular that their were only a few left at the end of the night.

For appetizers, we had empanadas brought by Jennifer, and we prepared a gazpacho using a recipe I found at Culinary Colorado.

For dessert, we had ice cream with dulce de leche.