Hello All!

I like paella as served in several Spanish restaurants but I see many
different recipes. Could someone give me a definition of "paella"?

I know basically what it is but is there a definition that covers the
various forms? In passing, I must confess to a slight initial lack of
enthusiasm for all shellfish dishes that involve the shells even if I
like things like Vietnamese mussels in ginger sauce.

--


James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:08:59 GMT, "James Silverton"
> wrote:


> I know basically what it is but is there a definition that covers the
>various forms? In passing, I must confess to a slight initial lack of
>enthusiasm for all shellfish dishes that involve the shells even if I
>like things like Vietnamese mussels in ginger sauce.

Paella doesn't have to contain shellfish. In her book Paella!,
Penelope Casas has many recipes with no seafood/shellfish at all.
There are even vegetarian versions.

The one I make most often, has chicken as the base.

Paella is basically a rice dish and it most often has saffron in it. I
would say there is a basic technique, but from reading Casas' book, I
found that there isn't just one technique, or one particular version.

http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/a...to/paella.aspx

Christine

On 2008-11-12, Mark Thorson > wrote:
> mussels stuck in several places. I remember it
> because we all got food poisoning.

heh heh... tourists take it in the..... never mind.

nb

James Silverton wrote:
>
> I like paella as served in several Spanish restaurants but I see many
> different recipes. Could someone give me a definition of "paella"?
>
> I know basically what it is but is there a definition that covers the
> various forms? In passing, I must confess to a slight initial lack of
> enthusiasm for all shellfish dishes that involve the shells even if I
> like things like Vietnamese mussels in ginger sauce.

The only meal I remember from the time my family
spent in Spain was paella. A big pan of food with
mussels stuck in several places. I remember it
because we all got food poisoning. I believe that
was near Cadiz. My mom might even have a slide of
that dish, it was so pretty.

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
news
> On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:08:59 GMT, "James Silverton"
> > wrote:
>
>
>> I know basically what it is but is there a definition that covers the
>>various forms? In passing, I must confess to a slight initial lack of
>>enthusiasm for all shellfish dishes that involve the shells even if I
>>like things like Vietnamese mussels in ginger sauce.
>
> Paella doesn't have to contain shellfish. In her book Paella!,
> Penelope Casas has many recipes with no seafood/shellfish at all.
> There are even vegetarian versions.

<snip>

For anyone in the Sacramento area or visiting, the restaurant, Aioli's
(roughly 17th and L in midtown Sacramento), makes a divine vegetarian
paella. Plan on a 25 minute wait between ordering and receipt of the dish
which will give you a smidge of time to indulge in a tapa or several washed
down by a lovely sangria.

TammyM

"James Silverton" > wrote in message
...
> Hello All!
>
> I like paella as served in several Spanish restaurants but I see many
> different recipes. Could someone give me a definition of "paella"?
>
> I know basically what it is but is there a definition that covers the
> various forms? In passing, I must confess to a slight initial lack of
> enthusiasm for all shellfish dishes that involve the shells even if I like
> things like Vietnamese mussels in ginger sauce.
>
> --
>
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>

paella
[pi-AY-yuh, pi-AYL-yuh]
A Spanish dish of SAFFRON-flavored rice combined with a variety of meats and
shellfish (such as shrimp, lobster, clams, chicken, pork, ham and CHORIZO),
garlic, onions, peas, artichoke hearts and tomatoes. It's named after the
special two-handled pan — also called paella — in which it's prepared and
served. The pan is wide, shallow and 13 to 14 inches in diameter.
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

notbob wrote:
>
> On 2008-11-12, Mark Thorson > wrote:
> > mussels stuck in several places. I remember it
> > because we all got food poisoning.
>
> heh heh... tourists take it in the..... never mind.

We were a little more serious than tourists.
My dad was a civilian employee of the U.S.
Department of Defense while we were there.
I know he worked at a base, and I thought
it was at Cadiz, but Wikipedia indicates
it was probably the base at the neighboring
town of Rota.

On Nov 12, 2:21*pm, Christine Dabney > wrote:
> On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:08:59 GMT, "James Silverton"
>
> > wrote:
> > I know basically what it is but is there a definition that covers the
> >various forms? In passing, I must confess to a slight initial lack of
> >enthusiasm for all shellfish dishes that involve the shells even if I
> >like things like Vietnamese mussels in ginger sauce.
>
> Paella doesn't have to contain shellfish. *In her book Paella!,
> Penelope Casas has many recipes with no seafood/shellfish at all.
> There are even vegetarian versions. *
>
> The one I make most often, has chicken as the base. *
>
> Paella is basically a rice dish and it most often has saffron in it. I
> would say there is a basic technique, but from reading Casas' book, I
> found that there isn't just one technique, or one particular version.
>
> http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/a...to/paella.aspx
>
> Christine

Almost like a risotto? Do you have a favorite recipe you'd care to
post? I won't eat mussels, but I can pick them out if necessary...

On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:21:37 -0700, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:08:59 GMT, "James Silverton"
> wrote:
>
>
>> I know basically what it is but is there a definition that covers the
>>various forms? In passing, I must confess to a slight initial lack of
>>enthusiasm for all shellfish dishes that involve the shells even if I
>>like things like Vietnamese mussels in ginger sauce.
>
>Paella doesn't have to contain shellfish. In her book Paella!,
>Penelope Casas has many recipes with no seafood/shellfish at all.
>There are even vegetarian versions.
>
>The one I make most often, has chicken as the base.
>
>Paella is basically a rice dish and it most often has saffron in it. I
>would say there is a basic technique, but from reading Casas' book, I
>found that there isn't just one technique, or one particular version.
>
>http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/a...to/paella.aspx
>
>Christine

Here's the paella I had in Santa Fe NM. Just scroll down a little.
http://kokoscorner.typepad.com/mycor...-road-t-4.html

Made me cry it was so good.

koko
There is no love more sincere than the love of food
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 11/09

"James Silverton" > wrote in message
...
> Hello All!
>
> I like paella as served in several Spanish restaurants but I see many
> different recipes. Could someone give me a definition of "paella"?
>
> I know basically what it is but is there a definition that covers the
> various forms? In passing, I must confess to a slight initial lack of
> enthusiasm for all shellfish dishes that involve the shells even if I like
> things like Vietnamese mussels in ginger sauce.
>

Paella has no real recipe. You'll find it is usually a bed of saffron
seasoned rice and layered with a host of proteins from chicken, pork,
mussels, clams, shrimp and then onions, olives, tomatoes, peppers, garlic
etc. Basically all the great classic ingredients you'd find in Spain.

If it costs more than 200 bucks, it is genuine paella.

Paul
> --
>
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>
> Email, with obvious alterations:
> not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

koko wrote:

> Here's the paella I had in Santa Fe NM. Just scroll down a little.
> http://kokoscorner.typepad.com/mycor...-road-t-4.html
>
> Made me cry it was so good.

You cry for happy? And it not even St. Frghoptds Day?

Bob

merryb wrote:

>> Paella is basically a rice dish and it most often has saffron in it. I
>> would say there is a basic technique, but from reading Casas' book, I
>> found that there isn't just one technique, or one particular version.
>>
>> http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/a...to/paella.aspx
>>
> Almost like a risotto? Do you have a favorite recipe you'd care to post? I
> won't eat mussels, but I can pick them out if necessary...

It's like a risotto in that both paella and risotto use short-grain rice and
are cooked in open pans. It's also like risotto in that both paella and
risotto have their ardent purists. (Anya von Bremzen's book _The Spanish
Table_ gives a list of "rules" which these purists will put forth at length:
"Only cook paella over an open fire fueled either by grapevines or limbs
from orange trees" is one such "rule". Another is "Don't include chorizo in
a paella which contains seafood." Obviously, not every paella in the world
follows these "rules".)

Paella is unlike a risotto in a couple ways: First, the rice isn't stirred
during cooking. The result is that the rice's starch doesn't become a major
component of the liquid in the final dish. In fact, paella doesn't have much
liquid at all in the final dish; you're supposed to cook it until the rice
forms a crust (the most-prized part of the dish) on the bottom of the pan.
Second, paella has more prominent inclusions (like chicken, big chunks of
vegetables, mussels, and so forth) than typical risottos have.

The closest comparison I could make to typical food in the USA would be
jambalaya, but jambalaya doesn't generally contain saffron, nor is it made
with short-grain rice.

In their books on Spanish cooking, both Penelope Casas and Anya von Bremzen
take pains to emphasize that the rice is the most important part of paella.
Both laud the native Valencian rice as the best, but list acceptable
substitutes -- and long-grain rice is *not* an acceptable substitute,
according to both of them.

Bob

There is no ONE recipe for Paella. Every cook puts his/her own spin on
it.

Ever had two different cook's lasagne? Or Jambalaya? Or spaghetti
sauce? Or chile? They may vary tremendously!

For sure, tho, every Paella will have rice, saffron, stock and
shellfish.

Lass

Seaking of Pella....it is quite expensive to make!
But....if you find a fish store that is closed on Sunday....go in an
hour or so before closing time on Saturday and the owner will be glad to
get rid of shellfish that wont make it til Monday, anyway. I've made
many a paella for as little as 20 bucks with this method!

Lass

On Nov 13, 4:47*am, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:
> merryb wrote:
> >> Paella is basically a rice dish and it most often has saffron in it. I
> >> would say there is a basic technique, but from reading Casas' book, I
> >> found that there isn't just one technique, or one particular version.
>
> >>http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/a...to/paella.aspx
>
> > Almost like a risotto? Do you have a favorite recipe you'd care to post? I
> > won't eat mussels, but I can pick them out if necessary...
>
> It's like a risotto in that both paella and risotto use short-grain rice and
> are cooked in open pans. It's also like risotto in that both paella and
> risotto have their ardent purists. (Anya von Bremzen's book _The Spanish
> Table_ gives a list of "rules" which these purists will put forth at length:
> "Only cook paella over an open fire fueled either by grapevines or limbs
> from orange trees" is one such "rule". Another is "Don't include chorizo in
> a paella which contains seafood." Obviously, not every paella in the world
> follows these "rules".)
>
> Paella is unlike a risotto in a couple ways: First, the rice isn't stirred
> during cooking. The result is that the rice's starch doesn't become a major
> component of the liquid in the final dish. In fact, paella doesn't have much
> liquid at all in the final dish; you're supposed to cook it until the rice
> forms a crust (the most-prized part of the dish) on the bottom of the pan..
> Second, paella has more prominent inclusions (like chicken, big chunks of
> vegetables, mussels, and so forth) than typical risottos have.
>
> The closest comparison I could make to typical food in the USA would be
> jambalaya, but jambalaya doesn't generally contain saffron, nor is it made
> with short-grain rice.
>
> In their books on Spanish cooking, both Penelope Casas and Anya von Bremzen
> take pains to emphasize that the rice is the most important part of paella.
> Both laud the native Valencian rice as the best, but list acceptable
> substitutes -- and long-grain rice is *not* an acceptable substitute,
> according to both of them.
>
> Bob

Thank you for the info, Bob. I've had lots of risotto, but sadly, no
jumbalaya or paella. I guess I will have to expand my horizons this
weekend!

On Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:27:34 -0500, (Lass
Chance_2) wrote:
>For sure, tho, every Paella will have rice, saffron, stock and
>shellfish.
>
>Lass

Not true. There are many, many paellas that have no seafood and
shellfish. There are even some vegetarian ones...

They can be based on any ingredient. There is one I make from
Penelope Casas' book that has chicken as the main ingredient..no
seafood/shellfish whatsoever. And she has others that have pork as
the main ingredient..again with no seafood. And another that has
duck as an integral pat...again no seafood.

This is a misconception that seafood and a ton of meats have to be a
part of it.

Christine

On Nov 13, 8:57*am, Christine Dabney > wrote:
> On Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:27:34 -0500, (Lass
>
> Chance_2) wrote:
> >For sure, tho, every Paella will have rice, saffron, stock and
> >shellfish.
>
> >Lass
>
> Not true. There are many, many paellas that have no seafood and
> shellfish. *There are even some vegetarian ones...
>
> They can be based on any ingredient. *There is one I make from
> Penelope Casas' book that has chicken as the main ingredient..no
> seafood/shellfish whatsoever. *And she has others that have pork as
> the *main ingredient..again with no seafood. *And another that has
> duck as an integral pat...again no seafood.
>
> This is a misconception that seafood and a ton of meats have to be a
> part of it. *
>
> Christine

Ok, I found a nice sounding recipe on the Food Network site by Tyler
Florence that has chicken, chorizo, shrimp, clams, & lobster. Guess
I'll be trying that this weekend!

On Thu, 13 Nov 2008 04:08:19 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

>koko wrote:
>
>> Here's the paella I had in Santa Fe NM. Just scroll down a little.
>> http://kokoscorner.typepad.com/mycor...-road-t-4.html
>>
>> Made me cry it was so good.
>
>You cry for happy? And it not even St. Frghoptds Day?
>
>Bob
>

lol. It was close to happiness felt. I cry for happy at feet of St.
Froghoptds and wait for day use j/lnghlm. Have my tummy in waiting
for roasted yak covered with j/lnghlm and eaten from thrkpt.

koko
There is no love more sincere than the love of food
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 11/09

On Nov 13, 6:34*pm, koko > wrote:
> On Thu, 13 Nov 2008 04:08:19 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
>
> > wrote:
> >koko wrote:
>
> >> Here's the paella I had in Santa Fe NM. Just scroll down a little.
> >>http://kokoscorner.typepad.com/mycor...-road-t-4.html
>
> >> Made me cry it was so good.
>
> >You cry for happy? And it not even St. Frghoptds Day?
>
> >Bob
>
> lol. It was close to happiness felt. I cry for happy at feet of St.
> Froghoptds and wait for day use *j/lnghlm. Have my tummy in waiting
> for roasted yak covered with j/lnghlm and eaten from thrkpt.
>
> koko
> There is no love more sincere than the love of food
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *George Bernard Shawwww.kokoscorner.typepad.com
> updated 11/09

==========================================
Happy you both for am I. Wonderlust Yak Roasted.
Fargo where is Lynn

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
snip
> The closest comparison I could make to typical food in the USA would
> be jambalaya, but jambalaya doesn't generally contain saffron, nor is
> it made with short-grain rice.
snip
> Bob

I liked this comparison -- it gave me an immediate sense of home cooking and
how both dishes may have come about. For some reason, I had always thought
of paella as a 'special, fancy' dish and not so jambalaya.
Janet

On Nov 14, 5:52*am, "Janet Bostwick" > wrote:
> Bob Terwilliger wrote:
>
> snip
>
> > The closest comparison I could make to typical food in the USA would
> > be jambalaya, but jambalaya doesn't generally contain saffron, nor is
> > it made with short-grain rice.
> snip
> > Bob
>
> I liked this comparison -- it gave me an immediate sense of home cooking and
> how both dishes may have come about. *For some reason, I had always thought
> of paella as a 'special, fancy' dish and not so jambalaya.
> Janet

Well, I am planning on making it tomorrow night- I invited my 89 year
old cousin to join us, and she's looking forward to it. Now I gotta
figure out what else to serve- probably a big green salad would fit
the bill...

"Lynn from Fargo" > wrote in message
...
On Nov 13, 6:34 pm, koko > wrote:
> On Thu, 13 Nov 2008 04:08:19 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
>
> > wrote:
> >koko wrote:
>
> >> Here's the paella I had in Santa Fe NM. Just scroll down a little.
> >>http://kokoscorner.typepad.com/mycor...-road-t-4.html
>
> >> Made me cry it was so good.
>
> >You cry for happy? And it not even St. Frghoptds Day?
>
> >Bob
>
> lol. It was close to happiness felt. I cry for happy at feet of St.
> Froghoptds and wait for day use j/lnghlm. Have my tummy in waiting
> for roasted yak covered with j/lnghlm and eaten from thrkpt.

==========================================
>> Happy you both for am I. Wonderlust Yak Roasted.
>> Fargo where is Lynn

You all *slay* me! I can never remember the spelling of these time-honored
(or is it worn?) rfc traditions.

TammyM, who was here when the cabal was first formed (TINC)

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:32:20 -0800, "TammyM" >
wrote:

>
>"Lynn from Fargo" > wrote in message
...
>On Nov 13, 6:34 pm, koko > wrote:
>> On Thu, 13 Nov 2008 04:08:19 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
>>
>> > wrote:
>> >koko wrote:
>>
>> >> Here's the paella I had in Santa Fe NM. Just scroll down a little.
>> >>http://kokoscorner.typepad.com/mycor...-road-t-4.html
>>
>> >> Made me cry it was so good.
>>
>> >You cry for happy? And it not even St. Frghoptds Day?
>>
>> >Bob
>>
>> lol. It was close to happiness felt. I cry for happy at feet of St.
>> Froghoptds and wait for day use j/lnghlm. Have my tummy in waiting
>> for roasted yak covered with j/lnghlm and eaten from thrkpt.
>
>==========================================
>>> Happy you both for am I. Wonderlust Yak Roasted.
>>> Fargo where is Lynn
>
>You all *slay* me! I can never remember the spelling of these time-honored
>(or is it worn?) rfc traditions.
>
>TammyM, who was here when the cabal was first formed (TINC)
>
I was and TINC

koko
There is no love more sincere than the love of food
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 11/09