Low-Cal, Must-Eat Paella: Y Gotta Try This!
There are currently 45.6 million people in Spain. There are at least that many ex-pats and people of Spanish descent living elsewhere. That would imply there are about 70 to 90 million paella recipes.This is just one of them.
Paella is pronounced "pa-e-ya" with the e as in "bet." It rose from humble origins to a classic dish of international stature. Here's the funny thing. The word "paella" actually refers to the pan used not so much to the dish itself. No worries. When I say "paella" you know what I mean.
I mean a dish of meats and seafood piled on simmered rice.
Paella was poor-man's food. Farm laborers would toss whatever was at hand onto their simmering rice. No doubt, fishermen added a bit of their catch to their rice. Paella was never the same dish twice.
This will not be so much a recipe as a system to design your own paella. We'll start with the rice part. Then I'll give you portions for whatever you want to toss in. That's my way of sticking to its original roots, with one exception.
A classic paella often has burned-on bits stuck to the pan bottom. They are considered a delicacy and even have a name (which escapes me). I don't care for them. This method avoids the crusty burned on bits.
If you don't mind this culinary blasphemy, read on. Be warned, there will be another piece of culinary blasphemy a little later.
NOTE: I'll start by giving you the "toss-in" mixture I like to use. Then I'll give a list of portions for stuff to toss in as if it was the only thing being tossed in! If you want to use 2 of those things, use half of each, etc.
Makes 6 portions of 350g for <395 Calories
Ingredients Rice Base
185g Rice, (~1 cup, 240ml) tradition calls for bomba or calasparra but arborio risotto works as well. Use what you got.
160g Red Onion, sliced (~1 cup, 240ml)
9g Garlic (~3 cloves)
2g Thyme dried (~1.5 tsp, 7.5 ml)
1g Smoked Paprika (~1/2 tsp, 2.5ml)
32g Tomato paste (~ 2 Tbs, 30ml)
Cooking Spray
500g Chicken stock/broth (~2.25 Cups, 500ml)
Sacrilegious Method for Rice Base
This is also known as my camping method. It's nearly impossible to simmer at low flame outdoors on a camping stove. I devised this shortcut.
1 - Spray a heavy bottom pot that has a lid with cooking spray. If Calories are not an issue, use 2 Tbs, 30ml, of oil.
2 - When hot, add onions and garlic. Stir 2 minutes or so until the onions start to soften.
3 - Add rice. Continue stirring
4 - Push everything to one side of the pot and add tomato paste to the other. Cook paste for a minute or two.
5 - Stir everything together. Add Thyme, Paprika, and stock/broth.
6 - While bringing it to a boil, scrape away any sticky bits on the bottom of the pan.
7 - Boil at full boil for 5 minutes
8 - Remove from heat, add stuff, cover and let sit for 15 minutes
Stuff
70g Mushrooms, quartered (~1 cup, 240ml)
150g Bell pepper mixed colors. (~1 cup, 240ml)
100g Flat peas in pod, chopped (~3/4 cup)
60g Flat leaf parsley (~1 cup, 240ml)
60g Zucchini thick sliced (~1 cup, 240ml)
+ Your other stuff
My Other Stuff
454g (1 pound ~18) Shrimp,par-cooked, shelled
375g (~3/4 lb) Clams in the shell, raw
Several good shots of Frank's Red Hot or Tobasco sauce
227g Turkey-based Hot Italian sausage, chunked, par-cooked
240g (~1/2 lb) Blue Mussels in the shell, raw, or steamed and added at service
300g Sea Scallops pan-seared added at service
275g Chicken breast, (~ 1) roasted and cut in chunks, added at service
Garnish with lemon wedges and serve
Other possible stuff
Remember two things here. We depart from the traditional method of cooking everything together. That means food safety can become an issue. Things that won't cook through in the 15 minutes of residual heat must be cooked separately and added just prior to service. You'll need to use your judgment here.
If in doubt, play it safe. Cook and add at service. Just don't tell anyone and they'll never know.
The other thing to remember is that I am listing alternative things as if they were the only things going in. If you want to stay low-cal, break them up. If you want to add two things, use half of each. For four things, use a quarter of each. Don't add them to "My stuff." Replace "My stuff" with your stuff.
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Comments
Irene 🐝 Rodriesco
6 years ago #23
eso tú pon los dientes margos al personal, esperando articulo y live buzz
Julio Angel 🐝Lopez Lopez
6 years ago #22
Happened to chef Oliver. But here we are at BeBee. With the name of Paella Valenciana concrete ingredients have been approved. As paellas have said well there are many. Personally the cabbage and cod is tremendous (good) and that cabbage I do not like. But I'll show you the ingredients, that the translator can go wrong with the vegetable. Hahaha.
Paul "Pablo" Croubalian
6 years ago #21
thank you, @Julio Angel \ud83d\udc1dLopez Lopez. I was actually a little worried that my radical departure from traditional methods would annoy the Spaniards. I should have known. No culture that can create a masterpiece meal from what is effectively pot-luck with whatever is handy would take insult.
Julio Angel 🐝Lopez Lopez
6 years ago #20
Javier Cámara-Rica 🐝🇪🇸
6 years ago #19
Jorge Carballo Pérez
6 years ago #18
Te daré la receta tradicional, y si te apetece la haces. Un Saludo Pablo
Pedro 🐝 Casanova
6 years ago #17
Well Pablo...like you said before ...they are 90 millions Paella recipes... :-)
Paul "Pablo" Croubalian
6 years ago #16
Yes, that is the way we learned in culinary school. I needed a simpler method for regular household use and for my Cookbook. I hope Valencia will forgive me for the departure from tradition in the name of simplicity. You don't need Domino's phone number with this recipe#7 BTW back in school, 11 dishes out of 24 students were thrown out using the traditional method, if memory serves.
Paul "Pablo" Croubalian
6 years ago #15
Yes, that is the way we learned in culinary school. I needed a simpler method for regular household use and for my Cookbook. I hope Valencia will forgive me for the departure from tradition in the name of simplicity. You don't need Domino's phone number with this recipe
Paul "Pablo" Croubalian
6 years ago #14
Jorge \ud83d\udc1d Carballo P\u00e9rez Este no es el método tradicional para la paella. Es muy simplificado. El resultado final es igual de bueno
Paul "Pablo" Croubalian
6 years ago #13
I read that but thought it may just be a myth. It is a romantic thought though. My Spanish friends tell me that although most cooking is done by the woman of the family, paella is man's work like the grill.
Paul "Pablo" Croubalian
6 years ago #12
I make it in a dutch oven thing. This method needs something with a good lid. A regular thick-bottom pot should do the trick/
Pedro 🐝 Casanova
6 years ago #11
So the name PaElla...means "for her"...the tradition of men cooking on sundays for their viwes...FOR HER.... para Ella... Pa´ Ella... Beautiful.....Beautiful..
Jorge Carballo Pérez
6 years ago #10
Jorge Carballo Pérez
6 years ago #9
Paul "Pablo" Croubalian a raíz de este artículo, voy a hablar con mi querido @Julio Angel 🐝Lopez Lopez y vamos a investigar sobre el origen de la Paella, que junto a los Spaguettis es de lo más internacional. A mí me enseñó cuando yo tenía 18 años el padre de un amigo a hacer Paella, no sabía hablar prácticamente Castellano, y según él, es tradición en Valencia que los domingos los hombres cocinen para las mujeres. De ahí su nombre. Pero ya digo, no me atrevo a afirmarlo al 100%. Julio y yo nos pondremos en marcha y os diremos. Por otro lado, la próxima Paella, os haré un Producer con Fotos y Vídeos ... de cómo se hace una Paella !! jajajajaja Ahí queda eso !!!!
Wayne Yoshida
6 years ago #8
Pedro 🐝 Casanova
6 years ago #7
Mamen 🐝 Delgado
6 years ago #6
Yummy yummy... 😍
Paul "Pablo" Croubalian
6 years ago #5
LOL I thought so, but, Javi, you don't need a low-calorie version!!! Double up on the rice and broth
Javier Cámara-Rica 🐝🇪🇸
6 years ago #4
Javier Cámara-Rica 🐝🇪🇸
6 years ago #3
Paul "Pablo" Croubalian
6 years ago #2
Paul "Pablo" Croubalian
6 years ago #1