Author Notes
This recipe is from my mother and father who bless their hearts, are in their 80s now. They STILL cook this to this day and have never followed a recipe. I must admit, you need papa's salsa for our authentic flavor but you can use any salsa you find gives a good flavor of chile spices. There are 8 children, and about 27+ grand and great grandchildren in the family and this recipe is one we use to bring us together. Simply cooking this recipe IS THE REASON for celebration. Follow it exactly and it should be so easy for you! Devide it up for less or add for more. You can't go wrong! - NOTE : Special technique that makes this fabulous! —Brigitte
Ingredients
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1
Bottle Olive Oil to have on hand
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2 pounds
mussels (debearded and closed)
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2 pounds
unpeeled uncooked medium shrimp
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2 pounds
white fish (cod, halibut, etc)
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8 pieces
sliced pork (chops, loin)
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2-3
small cans sliced green chiles
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10 pieces
chicken (I use drumsticks for ease)
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16 ounces
tomato sauce
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1-2 packets
Saffron Rice - Buy as many as it makes - see back of packet
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1
coffee mug of water per person or as packet of rice advises
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1-3
cans chicken broth
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10
Chopped Garlic cloves or to taste - the more the better!
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1 bunch
Flat Leave Parsley Chopped
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1 dash
Garlic Salt or to taste
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10 tablespoons
Spicy Salsa or to taste
Directions
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You can make this on a BBQ (traditional style) or on your stove. Either way is fine. You may to try your stove first so you feel more at ease about it.
1. Coat paella pan with olive oil and put on heat and let heat up a bit.
2. Brown chicken and pork along with garlic and cook a bit until almost cooked then remove and set aside.
3. Add shrimp to pan – cook until pink then remove and set aside.
4. Put tomato sauce, garlic, parsley and other seasonings into pan and bring to a boil (note: amount of seasonings depends on your preference. We love a lot of garlic but what I do is add a little bit at a time until your desired taste. Caution on the side of error. Remember, you can add more at the end but can’t take out!)
5. Add chicken broth (from can or that you made with cubes) approx 1 cup at a time (see rice directions for how many cups per person of rice).
6. Taste to see if seasoned enough and adjust accordingly. (TIP: I like to use the chicken cube granules so that I can add water and the granules as I go a little bit at a time)
7. We have our papa’s homemade salsa that we add here. I recommend you try something similiar if you wish. Some hot sauce or hot salsa adds some nice additional flavoring. This is optional. If you decide to go for it, just add a bit a time until it is to your liking. Just taste it as you go.
8. Add meat and shrimp to boiling water
9. Add mussels
10. NOTE: If there is too much water, just remove some and set aside and add back later as needed. You just need room for everything right now.
11. IMPORTANT – This is what makes it great and “our family secret technique” – We add the rice next BUT you want to “sprinkle” it all over the paella. DO NOT STIR. The rice will fall into the crevices of the mussels (and they will be oh so good!). Sprinkle it evenly around the pan and “intentionally” into crevices around the mussels, shrimps, etc.
Keep sprinkling accordingly as much as need for the amount you are making, making sure not to stir it.
12. Add back some water as need to just cover ingredients and keep adding as needed.
13. Spread sliced chilis over paella (see picture above)
14. Let cook for about 20-30 minutes or until the rice is absorbed.
15. When cooked, remove and set aside for about 20 minutes if possible to let everything settle.
16. Cover paella to help cook faster if you’re in a hurry.
This may sound daunting but it is very easy. Don’t worry if it takes a few tries. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll find that you can whip one up for lunch or dinner very quickly.
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