Paella—Cook-Off 31

[FauxPas]

Thank you for your write-up and lovely pics! Some tasty looking food there, but may I ask what went wrong with the one you labeled as 'sucky paella?' It doesn't look all that bad but I had a hard time seeing the details. Maybe overcooked in the center? 

[weinoo]

Thank you for your write-up and lovely pics! Some tasty looking food there, but may I ask what went wrong with the one you labeled as 'sucky paella?' It doesn't look all that bad but I had a hard time seeing the details. Maybe overcooked in the center? 

Yeah - overcooked in the center bottom. Rice not cooked evenly (because it wasn't the excellent rice I suggest using), so some was a little too al dente and some a little too mushy.

 

live and learn!

[Smithy]

*bump*

 

I've had a bee in my bonnet about paella for a while now. Part of it is because a favorite local restaurant, struggling to stay afloat during these pandemic times, now offers a Spanish Paella meal kit. Part of it is because if it's really a hit here at home I may have an excuse to go buy a paella (pan) from one of the local kitchen stores that are struggling in these pandemic times.

 

Yes, I could go buy the meal kit. I've been buying meal kits from that place fairly often, and they've always been good. Still. We have a bunch of meat and seafood in the freezer, including materials for making stock. It was time yesterday to make some freezer room.

 

I pulled out a few recipe books to get an idea of technique, but did not consult this topic until today. According to this post my final result is really an arroz rather than a paella. I know I broke a few rules. Well no, I probably broke most of them. Cooked it on the stove top in my All-Clad braiser. Didn't add the incredible variety of meats; used shrimp only. Used corn and green beans instead of peas and artichokes. Didn't get as much crust as I wanted.

 

 

So maybe a D- for authenticity, but we gave it an A- for flavor. The shrimp was done just right, the overall meal was balanced, and we liked the seasonings with only minor adjustments for individual tastes. We liked it. And it's a good thing we did, because there are a lot of leftovers.

 

 

So there's my paella-inspired rice dish. Has anyone been doing the real deal lately? I'm pretty sure I've seen some in the Dinner topic recently.

Edited July 30, 2020 by Smithy
Corrected bad link (log)

[David Ross]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

*bump*

 

I've had a bee in my bonnet about paella for a while now. Part of it is because a favorite local restaurant, struggling to stay afloat during these pandemic times, now offers a Spanish Paella meal kit. Part of it is because if it's really a hit here at home I may have an excuse to go buy a paella (pan) from one of the local kitchen stores that are struggling in these pandemic times.

 

Yes, I could go buy the meal kit. I've been buying meal kits from that place fairly often, and they've always been good. Still. We have a bunch of meat and seafood in the freezer, including materials for making stock. It was time yesterday to make some freezer room.

 

I pulled out a few recipe books to get an idea of technique, but did not consult this topic until today. According to this post my final result is really an arroz rather than a paella. I know I broke a few rules. Well no, I probably broke most of them. Cooked it on the stove top in my All-Clad braiser. Didn't add the incredible variety of meats; used shrimp only. Used corn and green beans instead of peas and artichokes. Didn't get as much crust as I wanted.

 

 

So maybe a D- for authenticity, but we gave it an A- for flavor. The shrimp was done just right, the overall meal was balanced, and we liked the seasonings with only minor adjustments for individual tastes. We liked it. And it's a good thing we did, because there are a lot of leftovers.

 

 

So there's my paella-inspired rice dish. Has anyone been doing the real deal lately? I'm pretty sure I've seen some in the Dinner topic recently.

 

How delicious this is and I am just dreaming about all the little bits in the bottom of the skillet.  I love paella but surprisingly have never made it.

[heidih]

My favorites paella description is from @David Ross you probably are familiar - the Time Life Foods of the World series.  More recently (pre-Pandemic) I was enticed across the farmers market parking lot location by Bernard Ibarra. I think a dish that needs to be eaten in the open, on the spot when hunger is in high gear.

https://www.tastewiththeeyes.com/2014/03/meet-terranea-resorts-executive-chef-bernard-ibarra/

Edited July 30, 2020 by heidih (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

This was my paella a couple days ago:

 

 

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/160121-dinner-2020/?do=findComment&comment=2257319

[David Ross]

8 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

This was my paella a couple days ago:

 

 

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/160121-dinner-2020/?do=findComment&comment=2257319

Ok I'm just going to have to make that one too, and those are perfect green beans.

 

[Okanagancook]

I made a Spanish chorizo and squid paella on the Big Green Egg a couple of weeks ago which turned out really well.  I do like the Chorizo..just one small one sliced thinly mainly to add flavour rather than meat.  I have one more sausage left so that’s what we are having Saturday.  I believe I made just 1 1/4 cups of rice so there were no leftovers...hate leftovers.

[weinoo]

2 hours ago, Smithy said:

Didn't add the incredible variety of meats; used shrimp only. Used corn and green beans instead of peas and artichokes. Didn't get as much crust as I wanted.

 

 

Don't think of it as a dish with an incredible variety of meats; it's a rice dish, first and foremost, with maybe some seafood, or perhaps some chicken or rabbit. Surprisingly, chorizo (though I pretty much always use chorizo in my paella) is not considered "authentic."  Yeah - the soccarat is hard!

 

 

Edited July 30, 2020 by weinoo (log)

[Smithy]

31 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

Don't think of it as a dish with an incredible variety of meats; it's a rice dish, first and foremost, with maybe some seafood, or perhaps some chicken or rabbit. Surprisingly, chorizo (though I pretty much always use chorizo in my paella) is not considered "authentic."  Yeah - the soccarat is hard!

 

 

 

 

Those are beautiful, weinoo!

 

@weinoo, @Margaret Pilgrim, or anyone else with experience, please tell me - is a proper socarrat harder and crunchier than the tahdig in Persian rice dishes? I get the idea, without having experienced it, that it's supposed to be. Hard and crunchy like the caramel coat on an apple? Chewier than that, as I consider tahdig? Crisp but brittle and easily broken, with just a little snap? Hard enough to threaten weak teeth? (That's on my mind right now. Don't ask me how I know.)

[MokaPot]

I've never had a paella that was made the right way, i.e., with a nice socarrat. But I'm imagining it's supposed to be like the crust on a bibimbap, the Korean rice dish.

[weinoo]

Well, those are all interesting comparisons!

 

Lately I find that I get a nice bottom rice crust in my Japanese donabe, with a lot less fuss than in a paella. Probably because I've made more donabe lately?

 

To be sure, the perfect socarrat will neither threaten weak teeth, nor crunch like a caramel coat on an apple.

 

More like in between.

Edited July 30, 2020 by weinoo (log)

[kayb]

I still daydream about that paella that was cooking in the four-foot-wide pan at the Tower Grove Market in StL last summer.

 

[heidih]

15 minutes ago, weinoo said:

Well, those are all interesting comparisons!

 

Lately I find that I get a nice bottom rice crust in my Japanese donabe, with a lot less fuss than in a paella.

 

To be sure, the perfect socarrat will neither threaten weak teeth, nor like a caramel coat on an apple.

 

More like in betwee//

 

OK this is odd - when grandmother cooked the main mid day meal for us kids during the work week she baked the rice an enamel pan that had the perfect-bottom crust. We fought over it. Not our culture thing so i find it interesting 

[weinoo]

What’s odd, @heidih?  I’m confused.

[heidih]

57 minutes ago, weinoo said:

What’s odd, @heidih?  I’m confused.

Sorry I was sobbing at Obama's  Lewis eulogy. I meant to say I have never had it be hard/chewy/inedible. So good is why we fought over it.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

@weinoo please say more about using a donabe.  Since my Darto paella is warped I'm looking around for another pan to use, and I have a donabe.

 

[heidih]

21 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

@weinoo please say more about using a donabe.  Since my Darto paella is warped I'm looking around for another pan to use, and I have a donabe.

 

But that is soo so different to open face paella pan - no?

[weinoo]

8 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

@weinoo please say more about using a donabe.  Since my Darto paella is warped I'm looking around for another pan to use, and I have a donabe.

 

 

8 hours ago, heidih said:

But that is soo so different to open face paella pan - no?

Oh yeah, it's a covered ceramic pan - no bueno for paella. By all means, use your donabe - for the stuff it's good for!

 

https://happydonabelife.com/

[JoNorvelleWalker]

On ‎6‎/‎3‎/‎2015 at 3:31 PM, weinoo said:

If chorizo is a sin, I'm going to hell.

 

When I was in school a friend affirmed the only proper chorizo was made from donkey.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

16 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

Oh yeah, it's a covered ceramic pan - no bueno for paella. By all means, use your donabe - for the stuff it's good for!

 

https://happydonabelife.com/

 

Sorry I totally misunderstood.  How about a tarte tatin pan for paella?

 

 

 

Please forgive the pastry.  I've used this pan about twice since I bought it and would love to achieve more mileage.  My favorite paella book, La Paella by Jeff Koehler, recommends Le Creuset for use as a cazuela but disparages cast iron for a paella.  Though he is fine with enameled or stainless steel.

 

[weinoo]

7 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Sorry I totally misunderstood.  How about a tarte tatin pan for paella?

 

 

 

Please forgive the pastry.  I've used this pan about twice since I bought it and would love to achieve more mileage.  My favorite paella book, La Paella by Jeff Koehler, recommends Le Creuset for use as a cazuela but disparages cast iron for a paella.  Though he is fine with enameled or stainless steel.

 

I have Jeff's book as well.  My guess is he feels that cast iron (for paella) stays hot for too long.

 

By all means, make cazuela rice! Which I actually find more forgiving than paella.

 

Also, I recently purchased a couple of new paella pans (I needed other sized pans) - and picked up one of those speckled enameled ones just to play with. It works really well.

 

Check this place out - the enameled pan and the odd sized pan I bought were both from the sale section (slightly damaged, but I noticed basically no damage) and really inexpensive.

 

https://www.paellapans.com/Sale-s/8.htm

 

[Smithy]

30 minutes ago, weinoo said:

Check this place out - the enameled pan and the odd sized pan I bought were both from the sale section (slightly damaged, but I noticed basically no damage) and really inexpensive.

 

https://www.paellapans.com/Sale-s/8.htm

 

Thanks for that link. There are some good sale prices there, given the original price. When I started looking online for paella pans, I was shocked at their list prices. Does anyone know why they're so expensive?

[weinoo]

3 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

Thanks for that link. There are some good sale prices there, given the original price. When I started looking online for paella pans, I was shocked at their list prices. Does anyone know why they're so expensive?

What do you mean by expensive? Like how much -  classic (i.e. carbon steel) pans are very reasonable, or should be.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I created incredible socarrat under my choucroute today,    Does that count?