Adela's Paella

I spent about 10 days in Madrid last October and was blessed to have been able to stay at my aunt's friend's place, an adorable couple who has been leaving in Spain for over 25 years. Adela is Spanish while Carlos is Chinese, who grew up in Spain.

That was my Euro foodie trip and it was meant to be when I found out that Adela is a fantastic cook. She loves hosting parties and cooking for people. The whole time I was in Madrid, I didn't do much sightseeing at all. I stayed in the kitchen with Adela, making her tell me the secrets of what authentic Spanish cuisine is all about. I went to markets with her to buy unbelievably fresh produce, meats and seafood for Adela to turn into omgosh good dishes.

It was simple and homey Spanish cooking and it was exactly what I had hoped for. When the ingredients are this fresh, you don't need to do much to them. They speak for themselves.

Adela is the type of cook who just goes with the flow. She throws in a bit of this, a bit of that and the concoction just magically comes together. Is fun watching her cook. She would rummage her fridge for inspirations, but more so for using up leftovers and soon-to-be over riped fruits and vegetables.




Everything to her is "very easy and simple" and "you can make yourself, no need to buy". She speaks English with an accent and sometimes mixes up her grammar. Is really quite cute. Every time I thank her for cooking me a wonderful meal, she would say "ah ... non, non ... don't mention...", waving her hand at me as if she was shooing me off.

I am going to share her Paella recipe with you today. Think of it as the Chinese fried rice - you basically just throw in whatever you've got in the fridge. What Spanish people make at home is quite different from what you get in restaurants. The homemade version really is so very simple and is just as flavourful, if not more, as the ones I've had in fancy restaurants.




I see lots of recipes call for browning chorizo, chicken or rabbit first to add flavour.

Adela said "Non, non, you don't need. Is not how we make it".

And is totally true. I did used chorizo before to add a layer of flavour, but I found it to be too overpowering. Whereas Adela's is more subtle and you can really taste the freshness of the seafood and the saffron.

And skip the green peas ... it adds nothing to the dish and that's not how the Spanish does it. The key is get yourself a good paella pan or one of those thick bottom skillets. I am guessing those cast irons would do just fine or those nice flat pans with the dutch oven material.

Adela's Paella
Enough to feed 5pax, but it was just the 3 of us that afternoon and we polished it off.

Ingredients:
2 x Spanish green peppers (the long kind, shaped like jalapeño peppers. Deseeded and roughly chopped
2 x tomatoes, chopped
1 x clove of garlic, minced
1 x red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
2 big handfuls of Spanish rice (you can use risotto rice if you don't have Spanish rice. But definitely don't use the Asian rice like basmati).
Pinch of saffron
Seafood broth / water / chicken broth
Prawns / mussels / clams / scallops (or anything you wish to put in)
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Saute the veggie until they turn into pulp.

2. Sprinkle in the rice and let saute for 3-5 mins. Spread it out in an even layer. Add in seafood or meat that requires longer cooking time.

3. Add liquid and saffron. Pour in enough liquid so it almost reaches the rim of the pan. Let cook for 10-12 mins. Do not stir.

4. Add in rest of seafood, salt & pepper to taste. Keep cooking until most liquid is absorbed.

5. Cover with tin foil and cook for another 5 mins, either at a very low heat or you can turn off your heat, depending on how much liquid is left.

6. Serve with lemon wedges and homemade garlic mayo.

Total cooking time should be about 20-30mins, depending on the size of the paella.

Homemade garlic mayo: 1 egg yolk, 1 clove garlic, salt & pepper and veggie oil. You can use hand-held blender or regular blender for this. Turn on the machine with everything but the oil in it. Slowly drizzle in the oil, just like you would make salad dressing, and blend until you reach mayo consistency. Amount of oil depends on the thickness you want for your mayo.




We enjoyed this lunch at 3pm with a glass of chilled white wine. It was great food, with great people and great conversations. Afterwards, we all took a little siesta and dreamed about our next meal.