Paella Mixto

I recently took a streaming cooking class with some friends and learned how to make Paella, a dish that I always assumed was insanely complicated and difficult. Turns out, its really simple.

Our teacher was Helina Sanchez, the Spanish Chef, who streamed her cooking class to us at 2:00 am from Barcelona. Helina was an absolute delight, and you should lookin into her recipes and into booking her for a cooking class. 

I have adapted Helina's recipe here, but I will not reveal all of her tips and tricks. You should check out her videos to learn some amazing bits from a woman who has been cooking paella in Barcelona for decades.

I won't lie: saffron is expensive. However, you will use a very small amount, and one jar should be enough for MANY iterations of this dish. I advise treating yourself.

You don't need to buy a paella pan for this. But you want a pan with a large flat surface. A 12-inch skillet should suffice.

There are many many proper ways to make a paella, and Helina talked about a lot of different options. I advise go with one meat (chicken below, but I actually used rabbit the first time!) and one seafood (shell-on shrimp is probably the most readily accessible) and then build out from there on future paella. Helina also has videos for all-meat and all-seafood paella that I highly recommend.

If you have any questions, please hit me up in the comments or on Twitter. Bon appetit!

Paella Mixto - 4 Servings

Source: Helina Sanchez, the Spanish Chef

Instagram: @paella.BCN

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCQe10BJDx8lag-7vqyByig

Website: paellabarcelona.com

Ingredients:

Meat:

• 1 lb boneless/skinless Chicken cut into pieces.
• Marinade for meat:
• 1 tsp Sweet paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1 Tbs olive oil

Seafood (choose one or two):

• 1 squid (200g/7oz), cut into square pieces or rings
• 4 shell-on crayfishes
• 4 raw shell-on prawns
• 8 –12 mussels, cleaned and degritted

• ¾ lb Chorizo, cut into pieces
• 16 oz Bomba Rice, Arborio rice or any short-grain rice. 
• 2 quarts chicken stock, heated in a separate pot to nearly boiling
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red sweet pepper, diced 
• 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 cup Peas, thawed if previously frozen 
• 2.5 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Saffron (10-12 threads) 
• 1-2 tsp Sweet (smoked) paprika

Instructions:

1. At least an hour before you intend to cook, marinate your meat in the marinade listed above. Cover or place in a storage bag, and refrigerate until it's game time!
2. Slice a garlic clove in half. Rub the surface of your pan all over with the garlic.
3. Add a pinch of salt to the pan.
4. Next, add olive oil to the pan, and turn your heat to medium high.
5. Add your shrimp to the pan, in their shells, evenly spaced so as not to touch one another. Cook approximately 2 minutes, then remove from the pan to a separate plate. The shrimp should show signs of turning white but should not be cooked all the way through.
6. Add your chicken and chorizo to the pan. Cook until beginning to brown on the edges, but not cooked all the way through, approximately 4-5 min (time depends on size of pieces you cut your meat). Move meat to the outside of the pan.
7. Now add your peas and bell pepper, and cook together about 4-5 min more until all your ingredients look well fried.
8. Move all of the meat and vegetables from the center to the outer edge of the pan. Place the minced garlic in the center of the pan, and fry it for about 30 seconds. Move garlic to the party on the outer rim of the pan.
9. Next, add your tomato paste to the center of the pan. Add the sweet paprika,  and mix it with tomato paste. Cook for about 1-2 min.
10. Add your dry rice to the pan. Mix with the tomato past and paprika to make sure all of the rice is covered, about 1 minute.
11. Now add your hot stock, add saffron, and spread everything evenly in the pan. Return shrimp to the pan. Turn on the highest heat you have, bring the whole mix to a boil, and maintain the boil for about 7-10min. Be careful not to scorch the bottom. If your stock is cooking off faster than expected, turn the heat down slightly and/or add more stock or water. 
12. When you see that about ~3/4 of your stock has cooked off, shake the pan gently to even things out. Check the cook-level of your rice. We're looking for a slight al dente (a soft outside with a tiny hard center). If your rice is not cooked enough, add a quarter cup more stock or water and cook another few minutes until the rice is perfectly cooked.
13. Now return the shrimp to the pan. Reduce heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes more on low heat.
14. Add the shellfish if you are using them. Cook until all stock has vaporized. Shellfish should open when cooked.
15. When you see that all your stock has vaporized, turn the heat up to high for 10-15 seconds. This will make the signature socarrat! (crusty bottom)
16. Turn off heat, and cover the pan with a towel. Leave it to rest for 7 min. 
17. After 7 minutes, uncover and decorate with lemon and parsley if you wanna be fancy. Or grab a friggin fork and a glass of wine.

Et voila! Bon appetit!