Paella, serves 6
Authentic style based on traditional recipes from
class taught by Carol Nieroda at L'Academie de Cuisine, and
Penelope Casas' excellent book _Delicioso: The Regional Cooking of Spain_

Nieroda said thin metal paella pans are best, superior to thick pricey pans.
You want to develop a rice-crust (socarrat) on the bottom, so avoid stirring
after combining stock with rice.  A 15-inch bottom diameter pan is right for
this 6-person recipe; we have a 9.5-inch bottom pan which is right for a half
recipe, serving 2-4; too large a pan will not evaporate enough liquid so pan
size is important.  Both Nieroda and Casas recipes are finished in the oven but
it's traditionally done over an open fire and authentic to finish on the
stovetop.  Fish, especially something like mussels, exposed to the oven will
dry out. Ratio of liquid to rice is critical, 2:1. Don't use too much oil.

It's easy to add too much "topping", turning this rice dish into something like
the abominable American over-stuffed pizzas. For a half recipe, 8 ounce rabbit,
10 clams, and 10 shrimp are about right.

6 	cup	Chicken Stock
1/2	cup	Dry White Wine
1	small	Onion, peeled
1		Bay Leaf
1/2	tsp	Thyme
2	sprigs	Parsley
5		Peppercorns

6	tbs	Olive Oil (not extra virgin)
2-3?	pound	Rabbit, boned, cut into bite-sized pieces, 16oz (or Chicken)
1/2	cup	Green Bell Pepper, chopped fine
1/2	cup	Red Bell Pepper, chopped fine
5		Scallions
1-2	medium	Tomato, juice squeezed out, chopped fine or grated
3-5	cloves	Garlic, minced

3	cup	Short Grain Rice (I'm starting with Italian Arborio)
1/4	tsp	Saffron thread, crumbled
2	tsp	Paprika
1/4	pound	Lima Beans, large [1/2C?]
1/4-1/2	pound	String Beans, flat (we use Haricot Vert from the garden)
1/2	cup	Peas
		Salt
		Pepper
2	dozen	Snails, in shells (I'm using canned, shelless)
		or 1/4 pound shrimp, and 10 clams, etc
2	sprigs	Rosemary

Mix Chicken Stock, Wine with Onion, Bay, Thyme, Parsley, Pepper.
Bring to boil, cover, simmer 30 minutes.  Strain and reduce to 6 cups.
Repeat: ratio of liquid to rice must be 2:1 so be accurate here.

Meanwhile... Salt the Rabbit.  Heat Oil in properly sized paella pan, saute
Rabbit over high heat until golden brown on all sides. Remove to platter.

Add Green Pepper, Red Pepper, Scallions, to paella pan cook over medium heat
about 5 minutes until wilted. Add Tomato, Garlic, reduce the liquid from the
tomato. The above can be done in advance.

Stir in Rice and cook for 5 minutes until rice is transparent.
Add Saffron, Paprika, Stock, Lima Beans, String Beans, Peas.
Bring to boil. Season with Salt and Pepper. Stir to even out ingredients.
Boil low, uncovered, without stirring, for about 7-10 minutes
until Rice is no longer soupy but some liquid remains.

Return Rabbit to Rice. Bury the Snails (or Clams, top with Shrimp).
Top with Rosemary Sprigs (I always forget this).

Finish cooking on the stovetop very low (or place in 325F oven) uncovered for
10-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed but the Rice is not quite done; if you
overcook the rice, it will explode and turn mushy by serving time. Remove from
stovetop/oven and cover with foil and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
(If using Shrimp and Clams, they should be barely done, perfectly cooked.)

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2004-11-22	Barcelona paella pan, half recipe

1 1/2	C	Arborio rice (risotto)
9	oz	Spanish Chorizo
7	oz	Snails
1-2	pound	Mussels in shells
1/4	cup	Peas
1		Bean, haricot vert, last one from the garden
no		Lima beans

Other ingredients as above.
Finished on stovetop to prevent mussels from drying out.
Turned out fairly well, but mussels and snails weren't quite cooked enough.
The rice started to stick to the pan in the center.
Could have used a bit more time after fish added, before foil off burner.

I would like to try this on a wood-fired barbeque grill.

$Id: paella-ladc-casas.txt,v 1.5 2004/11/24 01:47:17 chris Exp $