Speedy Paella

 Say it  “Pie-ae- uh”  

Tracy (my DH) and I were watching an old rerun from the Dick Van Dyke sitcom about a week ago and Paella was served as something special to guests.  They made it sound mysterious and exotic.  (Which it may have been mid 1960’s.)  I’d heard the word before and had a vague feeling it involved seafood.  I googled it and no surprise, found a mountain of recipes.  It is an ancient dish from Valencia, Spain.  It is made with rice, tomatoes, saffron and a variety of meats.

It is often thought the word is a version of ‘patella’ meaning, pan or another says it comes from ‘por ella’ meaning, for her.  It is a colorful and exquisite dish that can be time consuming and it usually makes an immense amount.  That’s great for company.  But what if there are just one or two at home and you still want the great taste and to be thrifty with time?

I watched a video of Rachel Ray making her Venetian Paella.    At the end of the video she said it was a time intensive dish to make and would take longer than her usual 30 minutes. (I think her recipe says 55 minutes.) I found the recipe on foodnetwork.com.  I also found an ‘easy’ version that suggested using a Spanish Rice Box Mix.  This seemed helpful.  But how would it taste?  So many flavors.  It  could be great… or time for a peanut butter sandwich and to air out the kitchen.

So with some excitement and trepidation I decided to give it my best guess in the kitchen and this is recipe I created.  I served it up to my husband and son.  It makes about 4 hearty servings.  We all loved it.  Best of all, it didn’t take more than 30 minutes to make, including cooking the meat.

Traditionally, scallops and mussels can be included in this dish too.  I chose not to invest in these ingredients as I discovered from reading many recipes and a little of the history that you can choose which meats will go into your pan.  In fact another version of the name is thought to be a corruption of the Basque word for ‘left overs’.  So now when I make Paella, leftovers become fancy ‘make overs’. Enjoy!

 Up next week:  The Blondie Mix is unveiled!

Speedy Paella

Laura

Paella has been called a ‘Renaissance of flavors for the palette’. This Speedy Paella can be made in 30 minutes and even turns leftovers into a glamorous dish.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

• 8 oz boneless , skinless chicken breast
• 8 oz Chorizo or Hot Italian Sausage
• 8 oz peeled and de-veined shrimp
• 2 T . Olive oil
• 1 box Spanish Rice Mix (i.e., Knorr or Rice-a-roni)
• 1/4 cup orzo pasta
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 can 14-15 oz petite diced tomatoes
• 2 threads saffron
• 1/2 cup tiny peas
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp . garlic
• fresh basil for garnish (opt)

Instructions

 

• Chop up chicken into bite-size pieces and cook in a little olive oil and a pinch of salt, till juices run clear.
• Cook sausage according to package directions. Slice into 1/4” pieces.
• In small sauté pan, heat 2 tsps. Olive oil, pour in Orzo and stir till golden in color, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat 1 T oil in large deep frying pan and sauté onions till golden.
• Add broth, tomatoes, saffron and garlic. Heat till boiling
• Pour in prepared orzo and Spanish Rice Mix. Stir till thoroughly mixed.
• Add peas, prepared chicken and sausage.
• Turn to medium low heat and allow to cook about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally (or according to package directions.)
• Add shrimp during the last three minutes of cooking time and cook till shrimp are just done, turning pink. (If using cooked frozen shrimp which is thawed, warm till just heated through.) Makes 4 servings. Recipe can be doubled if desired.

Notes

On the table faster: Cook the chicken and sausage ahead of time and just add them into the recipe when called for. (I cooked them the day before when I had a few minutes and stored them in the refrigerator. It was great to cut out those steps at dinner time when preparing the dish.)

Keyword speedy paella