Traditional Spanish Paella

My dad came in one day and asked:
´Hey, do you know what Paella is?´
I said, I did.
He confessed he already bought all the necesary seafood and asked whether I could cook it for him.
I was puzzled. As much as he loves seafood, my dad hates the sight of rice (He says, jokingly, it reminds him of a wedding).
I wasnt sure how many paella recipes were out there, so I had to ask whether he meant the same thing as pretty much every Spanish grandma.
´You know that paella is a rice dish, right?´
He just waved me away (which roughly translates into: Yes I do, but let us not discuss that...).

So I went to the kitchen and did my best... We ate it and we all agreed that it was great. (Dad, being a rice-hater, just coughed chokingly and left. He has hard time admitting that something like RICE could actually taste well) .

That was half a year ago. I left for Sweden and forgot all about it. Last week I came back for my sister´s wedding and once everybody has gone, my dad came into my room again.
´There is seafood on sale in the store nearby. Should I get some?´
I smiled and understood:
´You want to choke on paella again, eh?´
He left for the store.
Today, he ate the whole plate, but proclaimed it was way too spicy :0)

Next time, it ll probably be burnt or salty or soggy, but I am sure he´ll keep buying the mysterious ´seafood on sale´ each time I am back home.

So, here it is, surprisingly way too spicy:

SPANISH PAELLA:

spice ladder: ***

prep time: 100 min
serves: 5

• 1 big red onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 bell peppers (red and green)
• handful of fresh parsley leaves
• 2 chili peppers
• 2 big ripe tomatoes
• 200 g shrimps
• 100 g mussels
• 150 g mixed seafood
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp paprika powder mild
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 cup rice
• 15o ml dry white wine
• 700 ml fish stock
• pinch of saffron
• 1/2 cup green peas
• salt
• lime wedges

PLEASE note that the timing is very important for the best results.
Chop finely the onion, tomatoes, bell peppers and the parsley leaves. Slice the garlic. Cut the chili into very thin long stripes (de-seed if needed, I didnt).
Take out the frozen seafood and let it defrost under the running water. Keep the shrimps in a different bowl.

First, we make Sofrito sauce:
Heat up 3 tbsp oil in a heavy skillet (there are also special paella cooking dishes, which, of course I dont have, so I used regular giant teflon pan) and saute the onions, garlic, chilies and parsley leaves on low heat. After 8 minutes, add the sweet paprika powder and the tomatoes. Let cook for 4 minutes or until the sauce reminds us of marmelade. Set aside.
Heat up one more tbsp of oil and add bell peppers. Fry until they all turn black and the skin starts cracking a bit.
If you fancy multiple-tasking, meantime you can heat the last tbsp of oil and saute the shrimps. Once they turn pinkish (approx. 2 minutes) take them out, sprinkle with salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
Bring to boil the sofrito sauce again, add the rice and mix in well, until all the rice grains are coated. Add the fried bell peppers and the wine. Mix in well. Now pour in the fish stock (soaked with saffron), salt and the rest of the black pepper. Let boil for 6 minutes on a high flame. Do not stir! After 10 minutes stir well, lower the heat and continue boiling for another 15 minutes. Do not stir!
The original paella is ALWAYS slightly burnt at the bottom, this adds a real nice crunch to the rice. It is considered to be the most delicious part of the dish.

After these 15 minutes, stir it well and taste for the softness of rice. It should be crunchy, well flavored and most of all, done. If not, continue cooking for some more minutes.
Once ready, turn off the heat. Stir in the rest of the seafood and peas. Put a lid on and let sit for 5 more mintes, so the meat cooks partially and the peas soften up.

Adjust the taste with salt and black pepper if necessary. Serve with lemon or lime wedges and white wine :)

I loved this one! And hope that Sharmi of Neivedyam will also, for whose JFI: RICE this one is :) Started by Mahanandi, Jihva For Ingredients is a monthly popular food event that features recipes with using a particular food item. This is my second contribution (after JFI: Chilies), but I hope it won´t be the last one.