Paella

I have to apologize for being inconsistent with my posts.  Since my "big move" to Bangkok from Manila, I've been preoccupied with a day job that pretty much takes my 8-5s.  I've also been having issues with the quality of the photographs I come up with in the evenings, since my flash is as insatiable with batteries as The Young Tongue is with food.  I'm not a serious photographer, I just come up with a few lucky photos (thanks to natural lighting), so working without a flash at night is a pain.  Last night, I finally found my off-camera flash and tried to take a few snaps.

(food without the use of flash photography)

(and with an off-camera flash-- see the difference?)

This post is about several people and I'll narrate in no particular order.


I was going to be very lazy about posting this year and had planned on shying away from the blog until my friend, Mia, had decided to blog about this blog last week.  Seriously Mia, you just had to do it when I was about to put this blog to an end.  Tee Hee.  So thank you for encouraging me to make this a "going concern."  The other moms in that awesome party you had invited me to kept letting me know how my recipes have been useful.  What a great reminder of why this blog came to be.


Then a good friend of mine had recently returned from her trip to Paris so we decided to have dinner at my place, thus the beginning of Food Nights in Bangkok.  We've done this several times in several occasions -- when I used to live in Kuala Lumpur and she would visit or when we both lived in Makati, literally our buildings facing one another's.  We also used to work together, so it was the nature of her job to ask me to whip up several dishes in the kitchen for her ever-so-thorough market research.  Paten, this one's for you!


And last but not the least, a friend from childhood, Rose (married to a Thai), with a "bun in her oven,"  requested for the recipe of Paella this morning.   Now I don't know about you, but how do you say "no" to a pregnant woman?  You just don't (ha ha).  


So without further adieu, here's my very-easy-to-follow Paella recipe.

First, allow your saffron to bloom.  You can click on this link to learn how.  Saffron is an integral ingredient for this dish and I highly encourage you to use saffron threads rather powder or some form of processed copy (like those instant paella mixes).  And yes, I'll be a food snob on this one.  

In a hot cast iron pan (if you happen to have a paellera, now would be a good time to use it), saute your prawns, clams, and squid.  I would've loved to throw in a few mussels in there but finding fresh seafood in Bangkok late in the evening can be a nightmare.  Once they're all cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.  Place the jus (liquid rendered from cooking the seafood) aside too, which will come in handy later.  Saute sliced chicken thighs (would've loved to use rabbit, but how and where to find one in Bangkok can be, pardon my French, a b@#$!) and once they're about to brown, add sliced onions and garlic.  Allow them to caramelize then add a dash or two of smoked paprika (the sweet variety if you have some and when I say "smoked," this means you've allowed for it to sweat in a hot pan with no oil -- sort of like releasing it's own oils allowing it to become robust in flavor).  Deglaze with wine or if you don't have any, just use chicken stock.  Toss in some thinly sliced bell peppers (the colorful, the better), chopped tomatoes, and sliced chorizo Pamplona then allow it to sweat a little.  Add a tablespoon or two of tomato puree and saute for two minutes.  Throw in your risotto or short-grain rice and saute yet again, for another two minutes. 


There is a ratio between stock or cooking liquid with the risotto -- and the arguments can get pretty much heated, but I'd rather not say how much, with each brand having their own magic number.  But generally speaking, it's anywhere between 1 part risotto to 2 or 3 parts cooking liquid (chicken broth + seafood stock or the jus leftover from sauteeing it earlier + the saffron in hot water).  Good grief!  Have I been ranting?  Right, by this time, your pan should have the chicken, onions, garlic, chorizo, bell peppers, and cooking liquid all happily mingling with one another.  You can toss in a sprig of fresh rosemary and bay leaf at this point, which will definitely add personality and a kick to your dish.  Bring everything to a boil then gently simmer without a lid.  Do not touch the pan, do not stir and basically, do not do anything with it.  Leave it and let it get all toasty underneath.  Unlike risotto which needs stirring and constant attention, paellas tend to be more tough -- it doesn't like to be bothered, so let it be.  Tough love!


Once the risotto is cooked to perfect doneness, you can add all the seafood we set aside earlier and garnish with sliced lemons and another sprig of rosemary.  I served this with an aioli (just mayonnaise and fresh garlic puree) to add some balance and an easy salad.  Just remember, this is not a risotto.  So it shouldn't be wet, creamy, or anything risotto-like.  It should be drier than risotto, with a good crunch as the grains come closer to the pan.  In fact, if some of the grains have gotten toasty to the point of almost getting burnt, you've hit the right spot.  And chances are, if I know you, I'll invite myself for dinner at your place.  That's just how I like my Paella.


Here are some photos of our food night...

Enjoy!

Chicken with Chorizo

We love chorizo at home.  The Young Tongue and I can finish a whole piece, thinly sliced, as a snack.  When I want the flavor of chorizo to linger in my mouth, I usually incorporate it into a dish.  And so, I decided to put sliced carrots and onions into a baking dish.  I drizzled it with some extra virgin olive oil, seasoned it with salt, and then topped it with sliced chicken fingers.  I took the skin out because the chorizo is fatty enough and I wanted to include some butter.  

The carrots and onions can act as your trivet.  This will ensure the chicken pieces from not sticking into the bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle the chicken with some rosemary before tossing it into a pre-heated oven, 180 degrees celcius.  Then add the chorizo during the last 5 minutes of the baking process so it doesn't toughen up and get too burned.

Tortilla de Patata - Potato Omelette

My brother sent me a photo of our first trip to Europe together a few days ago.  The photograph was taken on a train from Lisbon to Barcelona in 1999 and I must admit, I looked quite youthful!  I suppose it was the idea of the world being my oyster as I had just finished college and the thought of eating our way through Las Ramblas on our first evening in Spain.  That trip lasted shy of 2 months and it was then that I realized I really had to study in Europe and no place else.  In fact, that very evening (after our food fest in Las Ramblas), I phoned my Dad and asked if I could return to Europe the very next year.  

It was also good to have traveled with a brother who knew so much about design (an architect) - he literally told me everything there was to know about the buildings and object d'arts we came across with.  Over sips of Sangria and tapas in Barcelona, we had agreed to fulfill our expectations for the weeks to come -- see museums, eat really good food, visit the not-so-touristy bits, and to buy only things that we can not buy back home.

The photo inspired me to make potato omelette.  It's quite simple really and you'll only need a few ingredients -- Eggs, potatoes, onions, and extra virgin olive oil.  I sometimes add a morsel of chorizo just to give the dish a slightly bolder taste.  It also makes the eggs look more yellow (I guess from the paprika).

So here's how:

In a hot pan with extra virgin olive oil, saute some chopped potatoes, onions, and for flavor, I add a tiny morsel of chorizo.  Once the potato is soft to the bite, add eggs.

Once the top part of the egg mixture is about to get firm, put a plate (larger than the pan) on top of the pan and flip.  Then toss it back into the pan, with the top part facing down.  Then after a minute or two, place the omelette on a plate.  Slice and serve.

Usually, as an appetizer, I use half a potato and an egg per person.  But as a dish or a hearty merienda, I use 1 whole potato and 2 pieces of egg.  And remember the tiny piece of chorizo?  I ended up making a game out of it.  I told The Young Tongue whoever gets the piece gets to have a wish.  Of course, I made her win.  Her wish?  A piece of chocolate.  Now that was easy!

Gambas 5 Minuti

Last night, I wanted to use one of my cazuelas and gas range (been very lazy to use it since my love affair with the Miele).  I decided to cook something simple yet tasty (don't we all?) and Gambas came to mind.  If you don't have a cazuela, just use a non-stick fry pan.

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil in your cazuela (or fry pan).  I like to use Arte Oliva Olive Oil placed in an olive oil pourer.   At first I thought that olive oil pourers were just frilly things in an industrial kitchen - but I was proven wrong by my dear Italian friend who gave it to me as a present.  It had saved me from several oil spills in my kitchen that I bought a few more during my last trip to Rome and not regret the investment made!

I bought this cazuela in Spain but have found some in Terry's Selection too.  And they're sold at very reasonable prices!

Remove the shells off your shrimps and de-vein them when you can (I have to make a mental note to ask my cook to do this next time).  I used "suahe" for this dish because I find them to be tastier and sweeter than regular shrimp.  Ensure that your cazuela is very hot before placing the shrimps.

Once you see the shrimps turn orange in color from pale grey, immediately add your chopped garlic.  Stir quickly and turn off the heat.  I personally do not like the garlic to get burnt (dark brown in color) because it leaves a bitter after-taste.

Season with sea salt.  You may add chillies at this stage for a spicy kick.  Remove the cazuela off the heat and be mindful of the fact that it continues to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes on the table.

The Young Tongue and hubby devoured it as swiftly as it took me to cook!  Wasn't that easy?