Remember I told you about the mister booking flights for us last year to Italy? He booked and paid Continental Airlines, then got annoyed with them and decided to book with Delta instead. After he paid Delta he called Continental back and demanded his money back...Continental is still laughing. We have one year to use those tickets or lose them...and the year mark is fast approaching...in May we started to plan our trip...Ireland, Scotland, England...then we switched gears and decided to go to Hong Kong, China and Vietnam...then scratched that and settled on France, Spain and Italy...and now, after months of arguing discussing this trip, we may not even leave the country! The Euro is so high our wallets would just hemorrhage $$$...so now we're thinking of going to D.C., New York and Boston...but nothing is set in stone and at the rate we're going we might just have to settle for Tacoma, Olympia and Portland.
I did kind of have my heart set on Spain...checked out several cooking classes in Barcelona that would have taught me the fine art of Tapas...and Paella...but since it appears, for now, that I will only be taking imaginary trips to Spain, I decided to kick-start my fictional vacay with Paella...and may I just tell you, it's muy delicioso! You HAVE to click on those pics above to see them better...because Paella would not have been on the menu had we not stopped at Hull's Shrimp yesterday. We, my quilt group, discovered Hull's last year on our annual trek to Port Angeles so this year we went prepared with a cooler...and Hull's didn't disappoint. Driving through the forest to Hull's had us all silently humming the theme song to the movie, Deliverance...but what they lacked for in ambiance they certainly made up for in quality shrimp...sweet, fresh and huge...and at $11 a pound for the jumbo prawns, as the Aussie would say, trying not to imagine how many health violations they might have was a small price to pay.
Paella (pie-aye-a) is a Spanish dish, originating in Valencia, Spain...creamy rice with any number of combinations of vegetables, meats and fish. So it's a very versatile dish - you can use what you have on hand or what's in season...and while there are many, many recipes for Paella, I opted to combine several and the results were much better than I'd hoped for...I licked my plate and so did the mister! He even said, "Wow, this is good, you need to write this one down!" And so I did.
I didn't have a Paella Pan - a big, round flat pan which paella is traditionally cooked and served in (pictured below), so I improvised and used my Italian pan we hand-carried from Florence to Sorrento to Rome to New York to Seattle...only to discover I could have purchased one just like it 15 miles from my house and saved myself a rotator cuff issue... oh well...it's similar to a Paella pan...it's big, with a large round bottom surface...reminds me of me. If you don't have a Paella pan, you can use a large skillet, it will work just fine.
Onions, red bell pepper, zucchini, Andouille sausage, hot Hungarian Paprika and Saffron threads (which turn the rice into a beautiful yellow color), are cooked until the flavors begin to meld. Broth is poured in along with Arborio rice and 20 minutes later, when the rice is soft and fluffy, frozen peas are added along with grape tomatoes and cooked shrimp (or uncooked, whatever you have). Once it's heated through it's ready to serve - straight from the pan to the table, where everyone can dig in for what is sure to be one of the best meals you'll ever have.
This is so good I'm thinking of putting it on the Christmas Menu! It's so colorful and flavor-filled it would be a hit any time of the year but it's also special so making this during the holidays would be a sure-fire crowd pleaser! But I have to say, it definitely hit the spot on the most beautiful sunny day we've had this summer...give this one a try - it's 5 dangs worthy for sure!
Paella de Camerones y Embutidos - Paella with Shrimp and Sausage - Adapted from several recipes, including Ina Garten's Lobster Paella
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 large white onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
4 Andouille sausage (12 oz.) sliced (purchase the fully cooked ones)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups chicken broth or stock
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/4 teaspoon or a generous pinch of Saffron threads
1/4 teaspoon hot Hungarian Paprika (it's not all that spicy but does give a nice little kick but you could use regular Paprika if desired)
1/4 cup Pernod or Sambuca, optional (both are anise/licorice flavored liquors that bring depth to this dish...I would recommend using but it's your call)
1 cup frozen petite green peas
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 1/2 lbs. shrimp, cooked and de-veined
fresh parsley for garnish, optional
lemon wedges for serving, optional - but SO good!
In a large Paella pan or a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in red bell pepper, onion, zucchini and Andouille sausage. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Stir in salt and pepper, chicken broth, rice, saffron and paprika. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Remove from heat, remove lid and carefully pour in Pernod or Sambuca, if using, then return to heat. Stir in peas, tomatoes, and shrimp. Cover with lid and allow to simmer for 5 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges. Serves 6.
