527453 Mon Jun 09 18:23:17 -0700 2008 41 31 Home Cooking 0 3765174 I am having happy hour at my home, I live in Phoenix and it is hot hot hot! for some reason I feel a a huge batch of paella may be fun. I am surrounding my menu around pomagranate martinis and cosmos. I thought this may work. If anyone has a recipe or ideas of what to serve to 12 people or so I would love to hear. Mon Jun 09 18:23:18 -0700 2008 63433 drewb123 1 3765289 I use the seafood paella recipe from the Joy of Cooking. It is good, easy, and would definitely serve 12. Do you have a Webber grill? Traditional paella is made on an outdoor fire. I have always wanted to do it that way. So now I have a grill but I still need to buy a good, but inexpensive paella pan for the grill. Mon Jun 09 19:03:29 -0700 2008 3765174 162977 sarah galvin 1 3766160 http://www.spanish-food-and-recipes.com/spanish_rice_recipes.html Scroll down to recipe #3. This is one of my all-time favorite go-to party dishes. I usually keep the rest of the menu pretty simple. A variety of tapas for hors d'oeuvres, lots of good crusty bread with the paella, and flan for dessert. It really lets the paella shine--as it should. Tue Jun 10 06:52:06 -0700 2008 3765174 11407 JoanN 1 3766676 There are so many different recipes for paella, I like this one. It serves 6 so you can double the recipe. Paella Simplified version of the Spanish dish, from Nick Sundberg. Ingredients 1 Tbs. olive oil 1/2 lb. shrimp, large, peeled and deveined 1/4 C. red bell pepper 2 tsp. garlic, minced 1/4 C. peas, frozen 1/2 lb. chicken breasts, cooked, diced 1 C. chicken broth 1 C. rice 1 C. water 1 C. chicken broth 1/8 tsp. saffron Directions Add the rice to the water, chicken broth and saffron. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook until just pink. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add the garlic and bell pepper and cook until just soft. Add the peas, cooked chicken, cooked shrimp and broth. When hot, serve over the saffron rice. Tue Jun 10 09:33:48 -0700 2008 3765174 112406 Chew on That 2 4881294 Your recipe does sound fast. I would create the soffrito before adding any material. I actually cook the chorizo and chicken in the pan with the sofrito. I then add the rice to the pan and add the liquid that I have added the saffron two. I cook in the overn and add the sea food during the last few minutes. Wed Jul 22 11:41:28 -0700 2009 3766676 21396 normalheightsfoodie 1 3766693 http://www.tienda.com/recipes/paellavalenciana.html this is the recipe I always use (I sub extra shrimp for he lobster...) Have Fun! Tue Jun 10 09:39:07 -0700 2008 3765174 15687 PamelaD 2 3766848 Interesting that the recipe you link to, Pamela, is word-for-word the Casas recipe that I linked to above, but my link says it serves 8 to 10 and your link says it serves 6 to 8. In the book, by the way, it says 8 to 10, but the most I've ever served was 8. People do tend to take seconds at the least, often thirds. Tue Jun 10 10:23:11 -0700 2008 3766693 11407 JoanN 1 3767241 Hi drewb! I'm thinking of making paella too - for Father's Day this weekend. I just ordered some Spanish bomba rice (latienda.com), and I plan on using these helpful tips that JoanN posted on another thread: JUNE Cookbook of the Month: FOODS and WINES OF SPAIN http://www.chowhound.com/topics/524516#3738801 Tue Jun 10 11:59:21 -0700 2008 3765174 10271 Rubee 2 3767882 This is for 6 and you can double it. We;ve been doing this for years. Great for a crowd. PAELLA SERRANO for 6 people This is from Chef Julian Serrano of Picasso at the Bellagio, Las Vegas. I saw him do this on Julia Child on PBS and it looked GREAT. (Made it later for a crowd and it WAS great!) Ingredients: 3 live chicken lobsters, about a pound to a pound and a quarter each. This is just right. 6 chicken thighs with skin salt and pepper excellent olive oil (we used Goya) 32 oz College Inn low sodium broth in pouch (that’s 4 cups) 2 SMALL pinches saffron (be careful. Too much gives a medicinal taste) 3 links chopped Goya chorizo 1/2 medium white onion, finely diced 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced 2 large garlic cloves, peeled & diced 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced (you might want to skin this if skin is thick) 2 cups Carolina rice 18 littleneck clams, scrubbed clean (sometime, try cleaned squid, too) 1 cup shelled peas (frozen is OK) for serving: some lemon 1) Pull out your equipment: a kettle for the lobsters. A large pan of ice and water for cooling the lobsters, tongs, kitchen shears, a paella pan (Use your Williams Sonoma one with the lid at the house). Preheat oven to 400F. if not using the paella maker. 2) LOBSTERS: Bring the kettle of water to the boil. Drop lobsters into the water, cover and bring back to the boil. Boil 30 seconds. Remove from water & drop into the bowl of ice water. 3) When cool, twist off claws, twist off the body from the head. Laying the tail flat as possible on a table, cut the tail into medallions WITH THE SHELLS ON THE MEDALLIONS. (This is so the shells will flavor the broth.) Crack knuckles & claws with a hammer so it’s easy to eat, but leave meat in shells. Save bodies for another recipe, like bisque. 4) CHICKEN: Either broil it, seasoned with adobo (Ralph’s choice) or cut each thigh in half crosswise and season with s&p. Film the bottom of your paella pan with olive oil, set over moderately high and when hot but not smoking lay the chicken in, skin side down. Sear skin side till it’s a beautiful golden brown, but the meat is still rare –5-6 minutes. Remove and set aside. 5) BROTH: Bring chicken broth to the simmer in a saucepan and stir in the saffron. Keep hot while you prepare rice. 6) RICE: Take the paella pan –the one you used for the chicken—and dump out the old oil. Add a new film of oil and put on moderately low heat . Saute the chopped chorizo first. Stir in the diced onion and cook, stirring often, until it just begins to take on color, but DO NOT LET IT BROWN. Add diced pepper and cook with the onion for a minute or two, then stir in the garlic. After another minute stir in the tomato. Let cook together for several minutes to evaporate accumulated juices, then stir in the rice. Saute, stirring for several minutes, till the rice is hot and is turning from translucent to a milky color. At this point ladle in the stock, stirring to mix the ingredients together and then spreading them out evenly in the pan. The stock should just cover the rice --if it does not, add alittle bit more. (Proportions are two to one or about twice as much stock as you have rice.) Bring to a boil and taste carefully, adding more salt and pepper as needed. FROM THIS POINT ON, DO NOT STIR THE RICE AGAIN OR IT WILL GET GUMMY! 7) Place the chicken, skin side up, in a ring about 2 inches from the side of the pan. Tuck the lobster segments around the edge, too, Put the claws in the center of the dish and scatter peas over all. Put dish in the oven and bake for 20 min. , uncovered. Alternately, cover it with a lid outside on the paella maker and cook 20 minutes. At the last possible moment, add the clams and wait for them to open. When done, the rice should have completely absorbed the stock and should appear moist but not wet. The clams should have all opened. If they don't, throw them away. Let the paella sit for 2-3 minutes after cooking. Garnish with lemon and serve. Tue Jun 10 14:29:34 -0700 2008 3767241 145206 SSqwerty 2 3768224 Thanks Rubee I think i am going to do this recipe. do you have a rec on a dessert besides flan that would go well? i usually do cupcakes but I would like a rec that is crowd pleasing as well. Also any sides? Tue Jun 10 16:14:10 -0700 2008 3767241 63433 drewb123 3 3770632 I think of paella as a meal in itself, which saves work on making sides! If you're going to stick with the Spanish theme, how about tapas to start? You could do simple ones like a plate of Manchego cheese, sliced chorizo, roasted piquillo peppers and olives (I found all these at AJ's), and then a couple of cooked ones like empanadas, shrimp in garlic, or mini-meatballs. I'll link below to the tapas party I did this past Saturday, and there are more ideas on that same thread too. For dessert, I was going to make "Crema de Jerez" which is a gelatin made with chocolate, cream sherry, and milk. There's also the classic Spanish dessert Crema Catalana, similar to creme brulee. There's also an excellent Spanish pound cake called Pastel Vasco that has blackberries (you can substitute with other fruit), is sliced, toasted in butter, and then served in cream. I've also served it sliced with honey vanilla ice cream for a Spanish-themed party. I'll link to that too. It is so good. All these can be made ahead of time. BTW, I have a great recipe for sangria. It's not authentic as it has vodka in it, but it's from a restaurant in Boston called Legal Seafood. It's delicious, very popular, and we finally talked the bartender into giving us the recipe. Let me know if you want the recipe. It's so good, but is very strong. Tapas: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/524515#3761295 Pastel Vasco: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/397074#2650076 Wed Jun 11 11:00:36 -0700 2008 3768224 10271 Rubee 4 3771580 Thank you Thank You, Thanks... I defintiely want the sangria recipe I am a Vodka drinker most of the time so that works well. It's a bit personal why i chose to do pomtini's as my drink but I can make sangria too. One of these days we need to meet in person b/c I know your in Phoenix as well. BTW where do u reccomend getting a paella pan? that my be a good bargain. Thanks again, Wed Jun 11 14:44:21 -0700 2008 3770632 63433 drewb123 5 3772925 Yes, it'd be fun to get together sometime! I'll put my email in my bio. Also, we're going to be at the Tapino locavore dinner next week that I posted about - 5 courses paired with wine for $40 pp (Thursday 19). I linked below for the info. Looking over the recipe for this non-traditional sangria, I forgot that it's kind of pricey for all the different vodkas. It's really sangria with rum and vodka. Although it sounds like a strange combination of booze, it's delicious. If you google Legal Seafood and sangria, you'll come up with all the positive comments. Also, when we serve it at the house, everybody raves and asks for the recipe. It doesn't taste strong, but as you can see, it packs a punch! LEGAL SANGRIA 4 oz. Bacardi Limon 4 oz. Stoli Raz 4 oz. Stoli Strawberry 8 oz. Crème de peche (peach brandy) 1 bottle Shiraz or similar red wine 1 cup homemade sour mix (I linked to one similar to what I make) 2 oz. cointreau 2 Cups Sprite Fresh fruit such as sliced oranges and lemons, apple or peach wedges, etc. I actually don't have a paella pan, so not sure where you could find one locally. I have a big 14-inch Calphalon pan I plan on using. I know Latienda.com has a nice selection of paella pans. Sour mix recipe: http://www.cooksrecipes.com/beverage/homemade-sweet-and-sour-mix-recipe.html Tapino Dinner http://www.chowhound.com/topics/492581#3753703 Wed Jun 11 23:43:17 -0700 2008 3771580 10271 Rubee 6 3773819 Thanks Rubee. I can't make the dinner thursday I will be in California. Sounds fantastic though. Can I please get the pastel vasco recipe from you I wil make that along the paella and prob my choc mousse as well. One of my friends is allergic to nuts and the almond extract might not work so well with her. Do you recccomend any ice cream with the dessert. I am most likely feeding 12 so I want to make sure this will be good. Thu Jun 12 08:51:05 -0700 2008 3772925 63433 drewb123 7 3775154 Have a great time in California! I found a link to the recipe on line: http://www.babyrambutan.net/2006/07/06/pastel-de-vasco-pound-cake-with-strawberry-compote/ I read through it and the only difference I can see is the blackberry compote. Same directions, but these are the ingredients: 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 vanilla bean 1 Tb cornstarch - dissolved in 2 Tb of water 2 pints blackberries 2 Tb brandy The vanilla bean is cut in half lengthwise, and the pulp and seeds scraped with a paring knife and added to the sugar and water in the pot. The last time I made it I didn't toast it in butter, but served a slice in a pool of cream, and topped with a scoop of Haagen Dazs Hawaiian Lehua Honey Ice Cream. Good stuff! http://www.haagendazs.com/reserve/hlh.aspx Thu Jun 12 14:09:40 -0700 2008 3773819 10271 Rubee 8 3776681 Oh, BTW, since you're a vodka fan too. AJ's has Oliphant vodka - highly recommend at around $15 a bottle. To give you an idea, my husand is a Grey Goose/Ketel/Ultimat fan. I agree, but tend to order Zyr, Stoli Elit, and Hangar One. We recently bought Oliphant on a recommendation, and were very impressed. It's from Holland so absolutely a bargain right now because most people don't think of Dutch vodka. It's around 14-15$ . Be sure to pick up a bottle (or two) while it's so reasonable. http://www.internetwines.com/rws29314.html Fri Jun 13 00:56:34 -0700 2008 3775154 10271 Rubee 6 4879191 For years, I made paella on the stovetop and finished it in the oven in a large saute pan. As long as the handle fits, go for it. I finally sprung for a Pata Negra pan from La Tienda a few years ago, and it looks great. However, I am sure that I get the same oohs and ahhs that I used to get when I used the saute pan. This is just for my benefit. Tue Jul 21 19:29:08 -0700 2009 3772925 87837 RGC1982 7 4879673 Thanks for the tip! That Pata Negra pan looks gorgeous. One of these days, I'm going to try to make it authentic with a nice socarrat but I know that can only be done with high-heat outdoor burner....Half of my husband's family is Basque ; ) For now, cooking inside and entertaining 6-10, I use a 14-inch double-handed pan (as in the pic from the report I linked above) http://www.chow.com/photos/201839 Wed Jul 22 00:29:37 -0700 2009 4879191 10271 Rubee 2 4875779 Hi Rubee- did u ever make the recipe from above? I am int in the one with the lobster and shrimp and mussels but the directions say just put rice in dry? Is this right? I am nervous about timing on everything...I am doing this fri for 6-8 people. Mon Jul 20 18:26:13 -0700 2009 3767241 63433 drewb123 3 4878291 Hi DrewB! Yes, I did. It's a GREAT recipe. It's Penelope Casas' recipe for Paella a la Valenciana from her cookbook "The Foods and Wines of Spain". I'll link to my notes (and a few pictures) below. It came out perfect. I was so happy with the recipe, as were the guests : ) Yes, you add the rice dry, coat it in the seasonings and oil . Then before dinner, add the stock, bring to a boil, and bury the meat and seafood before putting in the oven. I also liked how most of it could be done ahead of time. Let me know if you need more specific info. You're going to have a wonderful dinner party! Paella report: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/524516#3870265 Tue Jul 21 14:03:58 -0700 2009 4875779 10271 Rubee 4 4878557 Yeah!! Tue Jul 21 15:25:03 -0700 2009 4878291 63433 drewb123 4 4885676 Last quest hopefully..where did u find jamon serrano? please say somwhere in PHX. also did u use the pork chop? Thu Jul 23 18:27:55 -0700 2009 4878291 63433 drewb123 5 4885695 Rubee- Just read you review and saw you bought everything on la tienda.... Thu Jul 23 18:35:40 -0700 2009 4885676 63433 drewb123 6 4886167 Yes, sorry, I ordered the jamon. I couldn't find it at the nearby Glendale AJ's, and I'm pretty sure I checked at the Scottsdale Whole Foods and they didn't have it either. Re: your chorizo question below, as Ziggylu mentions, Spanish chorizo is different from Mexican chorizo. Spanish chorizo is often cured and traditionally seasoned with smoked paprika. You can find it in links, or a cured sausage looking a bit like pepperoni. (Mexican chorizo is soft and raw and needs to be squeezed out of the casing and cooked. It's usually flavored with vinegar, garlic, and dried chili peppers.) Here's a pic of the one I like to use for tapas (though this again was ordered from La Tienda) http://www.chow.com/photos/193740 Thu Jul 23 22:16:59 -0700 2009 4885695 10271 Rubee 7 4888456 got it at aj's and subing pancetta for serrano Fri Jul 24 16:28:09 -0700 2009 4886167 63433 drewb123 8 4888495 Have a wonderful dinner - be sure to report back! Fri Jul 24 16:42:53 -0700 2009 4888456 10271 Rubee 9 4891740 It came out fab!! it was alot to prep in my opinion but worth it. I used shrimp, chicken, pancetta and chorizo. also bought chicken bouillon cubes for stock. Sun Jul 26 11:31:18 -0700 2009 4888495 63433 drewb123 5 4889988 I havre purchased spanish chorizo in Whole Foods, it is in the counter in the deli-cheese section where they slice to order. The chorizo is pre packaged. Sat Jul 25 12:34:44 -0700 2009 4885676 21396 normalheightsfoodie 3 4879197 I would be cautious on this one. Stand by with more stock. I think the rice has a tendency to dry out sometimes, and the last thing you need is a dinner party with inedible or burned rice. Try the recipe out without the seafood or sausage (cook only the rice) first to see how you like cooking the rice this way. You can always use saffron rice as a side dish the week you try it (at least twice), and you'll have a lot more confidence with the whole dish when you add your expensive ingredients as your guests arrive. Tue Jul 21 19:31:52 -0700 2009 4875779 87837 RGC1982 1 4875863 I do Paella's all the time. From 6-8 up to 50 or more. Look at the receipe's on Spanish Table or La Tienda's site. The key is to get the ration of rice to broth right. You can get bomba rice at Sur La Tab in the Valley along with smaller Paella pans. I did a great Seafood Paella for daughter's birthday in Scottsdale a couple of years ago for over 30 people. I sourced the seafood at the Ranch Market with some additional seafood frozen at TJ's. With a meat Paella you would start by putting the sausage and meat in the pan with some olive oil. Sautee the meats and get the good flavor coming out of them. When done add the vegi's, onions and garlic. Cook until the onions are clear and everything is about done. Then dump in the dry bomba rice and coat with olive oil get the rice covered with OO and cook for a bit with all the ingrediants. Then put in the broth. Will take about 45 minutes or so for the rice to get ready to eat. Easy way to do a one dish dinner. You might want to do a dry run before the big event to practice. I have not screwed up a paella yet though, very forgiving. Mon Jul 20 19:02:26 -0700 2009 3765174 148886 duck833 2 4876008 Thanks Duck! do you know of any spanish markets besides ranch which is more mexican? that would have rice, spices a strong chix broth that is reccomended? I have a recipe I am prob going to use got it on this site a year ago.... thx for the advice! Mon Jul 20 19:51:35 -0700 2009 4875863 63433 drewb123 3 4876212 TJ's is your friend. I saw a bunch of safron at my local one at a reasonable price. AJ's has Bomba rice, Costco is the best deal on Chicken Stock. You also have Penski's (sp) spices in Scottsdale. Sur La Tab has a section dedicated to Paella. I use the Ranch market for the seafood, the seafood stall there is wonderful, have not found anything like it in the Valley. I buy my sausage at Schrieners on 7th on the way back from the Ranch Market. Mon Jul 20 21:33:09 -0700 2009 4876008 148886 duck833 4 4878122 thx dowes schreiners have chorizo? Tue Jul 21 13:15:32 -0700 2009 4876212 63433 drewb123 5 4878137 Probably gringo Chorizo, get the real stuff at the Ranch Market. Tue Jul 21 13:21:10 -0700 2009 4878122 148886 duck833 5 4879361 I bought some spanish chorizo at the whole foods in chandler on sunday. (used it for paella on our big green egg. yum). I've also bought it in the past at AJ's. Fresh and Easy carried a good one when they first opened, but like most of their interesting items it's long since disappeared. Tue Jul 21 20:29:24 -0700 2009 4878122 16406 ziggylu 6 4885671 i plan on going to aj's beacuse i am picking up manchego cheese there too (sale!) now what chorizo brand or type do u rec? is i raw or cooked? I havent worked with it before. Thu Jul 23 18:27:02 -0700 2009 4879361 63433 drewb123 7 4885860 The spanish chorizo is typically cured and I believe fermented so no need to cook(though I do saute it when I make paella. I also like to saute with sherry for a tapas). . I remove the casing when I use it. I don't remember the brand names. I ahven't bought it at AJ's in a while since I live in the same block as the WF. The one I picked up at WF this past weekend wasn't spicy but sweeter. I prefer the spicy actually but this was all they had in link form, the other option was presliced very thin(not sure if it was spicier, didn't look that closely). It was a good sausage though despite not being spicy, lots of smoked paprika flavor. If you find jamon serrano locally let us know! (thansk for the tip on the manchego being on sale, will have to go pick some up as we ate the rest of ours a couple nights ago). Thu Jul 23 19:41:20 -0700 2009 4885671 16406 ziggylu 2 4879206 You have clearly got the cooling time down on this one, as well as the ratio of rice and broth. Bravo -- a real professional. Curious -- do you use one of those outside burners for 50, or multiple pans? Tue Jul 21 19:34:32 -0700 2009 4875863 87837 RGC1982 3 4879383 I am sick. I have two burners and maybe 10 different pans. I use a 36" one with a triple round burner setup for big tailgaters or parties. Then I have a 32" with a double round burner for a little smaller one. Then other sizes all the way down to 10". Tue Jul 21 20:37:02 -0700 2009 4879206 148886 duck833 1 4875892 Here's Jacque Pepin's Fast Food version. Knowing him, it'll be great: http://www.kqed.org/w/morefastfoodmyway/episode201.html Mon Jul 20 19:13:32 -0700 2009 3765174 10877 Sarah 1 4890771 Martha Stewart made a very yummy looking authentic one on a show I watched last year. It was cooked outside but can be made indoors. It is very yummy looking, and I plan on making it someday. You need a 28 inch pan and a huge crowd as it is 45 servings. Or I guess you could half the recipe. =) http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/paella-for-forty-five?autonomy_kw=paella%20on%20grill Sat Jul 25 20:16:22 -0700 2009 3765174 1081227 DishDelish 1 4904692 Just did a test paella Tuesday night on my Weber Kettle. Used a 16 1/2" pan, rated for 10 people, probably would be good for 12 at least. Turned out pretty good, I put the charcoal all around the edges of the kettle and none in the middle. I did not have any sacorate. Perhaps because of the charcoal and I think I used to much olive oil, or the sausage had lots of fat in it. But that is why I test and practice before the big event!!! Thu Jul 30 16:12:37 -0700 2009 3765174 148886 duck833