PRONTO PAELLA

A Paramount Preparation To Pamper The Palate

Paella, the colourful, internationally known Spanish dish is a triumphal culinary rice preparation that developed in the fields by laborers using local foods. It is named after the wide shallow pan it is cooked in and can contain almost anything, including chicken, pork, shellfish, beans and peas; in short, whatever particular vittles you care to use. So what defines a paella? Olive oil, rice and saffron is the heart of a paella. Ask a hundred Spaniards what goes in a paella and you'll get 100 different answers, or more if they tell you how their mom or aunt makes it.

 

When the Moors ruled most of Spain, they popularized rice eating with the casseroles they prepared and subsequently established the custom of eating rice on that Iberian peninsula

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In Spain, families like to take a paella pan and the paella ingredients and picnic by building a fire and cooking the paella al fresco. When cooked, they all sit around the paellera and eat communally.

If you have ever tasted a paella, you know what an extraordinarily delectable dish it is but were perhaps put off by the tedious time-consuming effort required to prepare this precious gustatory sensation. I thought about this and have actually prepared a stripped down recipe that still tastes like a paella should. This paella pronto compares with classic paellas taste-wise and takes little time to prepare.

Pronto Paella            serves 4

 

Ingredients:

 

2 Tablespoons highest quality olive oil

2-3 links of hot Italian sausage (about a half pound) casings removed

1 Cup of medium-grain rice (not long-grain)

2 cups of clam broth, seafood stock or water

½ Teaspoon salt (omit if using seasoning mix below)

½ Cup white wine (optional)

 

 

1 Sixteen oz can of stewed tomatoes

1 Cup frozen shelled edamame, cut-up green beans or frozen peas, partially thawed

1 Pound of large (15-25) shrimp, shelled and deveined *

1 Red bell pepper (capsicum), cleaned and chopped

1 Tablespoon paella spice mix (see below) OR:

½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika. Less than 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves , ½ teaspoon saffron, and quarter teaspoon dried rosemary

 

Method:

 

 

• Heat a wide skillet (ten inch or wider) over medium- high flame and add the oil
• Put sausages in skillet and cook, breaking up as you stir, until browned
  • Remove the sausage to a bowl
  • Put the raw rice in the skillet, lower flame to medium heat
  • Stir the dry rice in the fat for a couple of minutes
  • Add the salt and broth,stock or water and turn up the flame
  • When liquid boils, lower heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes
  • Add wine if using
  • Add edamame or green beans and cook 5 minutes (if using peas, wait)
  • Add red pepper and tomatoes and spices and turn heat to boil
  • Add the shrimp, stir and when comes to boil, lower flame
  • Cook the shrimp three minutes only and then add the peas if using
  • Cook one minute, just to heat the peas
    * If you so desire, you could boil the shrimp shells in water to cover for ten minutes and make a lovely seafood shrimp broth.
  • I think this is pretty simple to prepare; a pretty paella made pronto. I hope you will try this paella soon and remember: once you have the olive oil, saffron and rice you can choose your own vegetables and meats or just vegetables only would be good.
  • Paella Seasoning Mix
    50 whole saffron stigmas
    4 Tablespoons paprika, Hungarian or Spanish or both
    1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
    2 Teaspoons onion powder
    1 ½ Teaspoons garlic powder
    1 Teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
    1 Teaspoon dried rosemary
    2 teaspoons salt
  •  
  • Thoroughly combine all and store in an airtight jar.
  •  
  • The Moors (Muslims originating from North Africa) did a lot of good in Spain. They encouraged learning and the arts. Although the rest of Europe was mired in the dark ages, the Moors studied and kept alive the works of the classical Greeks and Romans. The Moors are also responsible for the exquisite architecture to be found in Spain. Not only did the Moors introduce rice from Asia to Spain, they also started the cultivation of oranges and a complex system of irrigation that made Spain a prosperous group of kingdoms. They were expelled right before Christopher Columbus set sail for India. But you can enjoy the fruits of the rice they favoured
  •  
    Happy eating
     
    

JOY OF JUICING

While we were visiting our daughter in Florida recently, we watched a compelling documentary about a sick and overweight Australian businessman who came to the USA to perform a juice fast for 60 days. See here. 

It was fascinating to watch as the man, Joe Cross, traveled all over The US and stopped at farmers markets or roadside stands. In the rear of his vehicle he had a juicer and would juice the vegetables right on the spot. He checked with his MD before he began and hoped to eventually eliminate the prescribed medicine for his skin disease which was making him sicker.

Cross was losing fat, little by little. He would speak to other young people about their diet and they would mention the usual fast- food fare. A couple of people looked like they could have benefited from the juice regimen, but said they loved their junk food too much.

Cross kept juicing twice a day, and eating nothing else. His fat continued to diminish and after tests with his physician, he could actually drop the medicine routine and its side effects.

Driving through Arizona, Joe Cross met an obese over the road driver and started talking with him. The man had trouble walking from his rig to the truck-stop center. Joe invited him over to his vehicle and offered him a glass of juice. They got to talking and it turned out both men had the same disease. The trucker liked the beverage but wasn’t sure about committing to a juicing program. Joe left his number with the trucker.

At the end of the 60 day juicing program, Joe was no longer fat, sick and nearly dying. He was no longer taking the medicine and his disease had completely cleared up.  He went back home and went about his business.

Later, that obese trucker telephoned Joe and asked for help. Joe agreed to return and provide help.  The driver, although in his early 40’s, could barely walk a block without having to stop. When he was younger he was a champion swimmer in school. He followed Joe Cross’s advice and through the ensuing weeks lost a lot of fat and was able to jog long distances. He was so grateful he started volunteering to help other overweight people.

My daughter wanted me and my spouse to start juicing and purchased a juicer for us that day. We bought a bunch of vegetables and started juicing. The Education Tipster likes it and participates in the twice daily juicing event.

My daughter urges everyone to start juicing, as the concentrated nutrients (vitamins, minerals, enzymes etc) help stave off food cravings as they satisfy your body’s food needs. 

There are a couple of important points to remember.

1. Wash the vegetables and fruit to be juiced.
2. Go easy on the fruits used, too much fruit sugar is not healthy
3. Do include a little fruit with the vegetables for a more palatable flavour.
4. Rinse out the juicer as soon as possible, before it gets dry and is hard to clean.
5. Drink the juice as soon as you can, before oxidation sets in.

We traveled over 130 miles round trip to buy some Bitter Melon, which is a bitter vegetable reputed to be very effective in controlling blood sugar. After awhile you can get used to the amounts and varieties of fruits and vegetables you may prefer. I use bitter melon with carrot, celery, spinach, bell pepper, zucchini, cucumber and a little watermelon, apple and orange. You can juice almost anything, but not banana or avocado.Read the manual accompanying your juicing machine for more information.

We met a Russian man at that market who has been juicing for 15 years, since he got here. He looked very healthy.

Here is a simple juicing recipe to get started: 3 carrots, 1 tomato and a handful of spinach. It tastes like V8 juice, but its much better for you because it contains live micronutrients and no preservatives.

TEMPURA

My first introduction to Japanese food was at a charming restaurant in Manhattan. The atmosphere was very enchanting; you sat on cushions on the floor at a very low table. My host ordered in Japanese and I didn’t know what I was getting. When it arrived I was truly amazed at the platter.  Tempura that was exquisite in appearance, absolutely breathtaking; thinly sliced vegetables and shrimp, each encapsulated in a clean, crisp, transparent breading that was all so beautifully arranged on the platter to be appealing as a lover’s friendship.

I remember that first encounter with tempura to this day. The tempura technique, first brought to Japan by Portuguese missionaries in the 16^th century, would surely delight anyone who enjoys “fish and chips” or “fritto misto” and such

  I think the simple flour, egg and liquid batter makes a good tempura.  Unlike when making bread, tempura batter requires minimal gluten, so the batter is mixed quickly, leaving lumps in the mixture. The very cold, lumpy batter ensures a peerless, crisp, absolutely delectable tempura. Thinly sliced vegetables or calamari rings; it’s all good when cooked tempura style.

Since crisp is the name of the game with tempura, people often fiddle with the batter recipe trying to “improve “ it.  Some people make use of “rice flour” and a multitude of other starches, but the most interesting concept I have seen is a technique first made known by the Japanese first lady, Miyuki Hatoyama, wife of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. Madam first lady has employed a whisky batter that worked quite well for that very crisp tempura. That’s right, no other liquid was used, just whisky. It did indeed produce a crisp product, but still, there was that “whisky” aftertaste. Some culinary scientist experimented with vodka and voila; ultra-crisp tempura with a slight, almost absent vodka taste was born. Alcohol reportedly dissolves portions of the gluten proteins to keep the crust from getting chewy, and since it boils off faster than water, the batter crisps up better.

But you can make a great tempura without alcohol by remembering:

• Use ice cold water or sparkling water and mix the batter right before serving
• Stir briefly to barely incorporate the blend, lumps are perfectly fine

Let’s make a Shrimp Tempura with a nice dipping sauce to compliment the crispy coating. You can omit the shrimp and cook any vegetable you desire.

Ingredients:

1 lb (500g) shelled and deveined large shrimp

1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and sliced thinly (about ¼ inch or 5mm thick)

1 small tender eggplant, sliced thinly length-wise as for sweet potato

10 tender snow peas

10 mushrooms, sliced as for sweet potato

1 onion, sliced into rings

10 tender green beans (string beans) cut into 2” or 5cm lengths

Clean vegetable oil for deep-frying

You can butterfly the shrimp or not, leave the tails on. Please make sure the shrimp and the vegetables are DRY before you batter and fry them. You can put all on a platter and refrigerate covered to keep cold while you get ready.

DIPPING SAUCE RECIPE

You can make a simple dipping sauce with soy sauce, mirin or sherry wine and horseradish mixed together.

TEMPURA BATTER

1 egg

1-cup (8 fluid ounces, 250ml) ice water (very important)

1 cup (2 ounces, 60g) all purpose flour, sifted

Heat your frying oil to 350F (180C)

Have your oil hot and ready firstly, because you want to be frying as soon as the batter is mixed.

Have a draining rack or paper towel in place. As soon as the tempuras are cooked they should be drained and than consumed, you can’t hold them long.

Put the ice water into a bowl. Add the egg and beat. Add the sifted flour and stir with a fork just to combine, don’t worry about lumps. You do not want to over mix. If you run out of batter make more the same way. Do not store batter, as soon as it settles you must discard it.

With the frying oil ready, dip shrimp and/or vegetables into batter one at a time and fry a few pieces until golden, about 3 minutes (don’t overcrowd the oil). Although you want to be cautious with hot oil, the batter on your fingertips will help to insulate the skin from burns as you place the food atop the oil, in the event you get too close.

Drain and serve immediately. A deep fryer with a basket is good. The basket should be in the fryer, and then add the vegetables singly. When the food is golden lift out.

All diners get a small bowl of sauce.  I’ve seen many people forego the dipping sauce and just salt their tempura.

Frying is very quick and very satisfying, and done right, does not inordinately make the meal unhealthy. Try it, especially when you have a crowd over, as the cooking is quick.

PASTA FAZOOL - THAT'S AMORE

A long time ago there was a comedian who used to do a recurring skit where he would exuberantly mention a little known food at the time called Pasta Fazool and the audience would roar with laughter.  Years later I learned it was the Neapolitan pronunciation for Pasta e Fagioli, a wonderful, stick to your ribs, thick soupy dish with tons of flavour. Fagioli (beans) sounds like ” fa Zhole” so it’s easy to see how the slang fazool came about.  But any way you look at it, its good to eat.

There are a lot of ways to make pasta fazool, but I think closest to the original way is best.  Since it was a peasant dish, it didn’t often have meat in it unless it was some leftover scraps.  Not everybody used tomato in it, although many people used leftover Sunday sauce as a base.  You could cut down on the celery, use more carrot, and even put ham or other meats in it if you choose to. It is very good without any meat.

Pasta Fazool is a very simple, hearty dish, soupy enough to be served in bowls rather than on plates.

Serves 6

Ingredients

4 ounces diced bacon (you can omit this, will still be great)

¼ cup of olive oil IF omitting bacon

1 small onion chopped finely, about ½ a cup

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 stalk of celery, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional but nice

1 cup of canned tomatoes, diced or pureed

8 ounces of white beans (Great Northern, Michigan Whites or Cannelini) soaked overnight or quick soaked by boiling for two minutes and letting sit in water 1 hour. Drain prior to using

1-quart chicken stock

1 ½ tablespoon fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 cup of small pasta, I use ditalini

salt and pepper to taste

Grated parmesan cheese to sprinkle over filled bowls

Method

Fry the bacon, stirring occasionally until nicely browned in a dutch oven or soup pot. Remove the fried bacon and reserve 2 tablespoons of the fat. Add I tablespoon olive oil to the pot. If not using bacon add the ¼ cup of olive oil now instead. Add the next four or five ingredients and fry gently till tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

Put in the next four ingredients and simmer for about 40 minutes. (Taste a bean for tenderness). Check liquid levels and add water as needed.

Now put in the pasta and cook until it is just slightly firm, called al dente. Taste to test.

When it is cooked, take off the heat and put in the parsley. Let it sit a minute while you get ready.

Dish it out and let the diners put plenty of parmesan atop their bowls. Offer a little olive oil to each bowl as well.

Come on paisano give it a try; you’ll be saying “Mangia Mangia” right away.

LET'S EAT MORE VEGETABLES!

We are trying to eat more vegetables at my house, but of course they have to taste good. We love Chinese food and stir-fries are always popular. Recently I have been cooking southern Indian dishes, and decided to fuse some left-over coconut milk into a traditional Chinese stir fry. It was well liked by all who ate it. I think you will like it too.

Curry Stir Fry

2 teaspoons coconut oil, or light olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 cup halved or sliced mushrooms
1 bag of frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
1 cup of sugar snap peas
Dash of oriental sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water

Sauce

½ cup, or more, coconut milk
Splash of soy sauce (2 tablespoons)
½ teaspoon of curry powder
1 ½ tablespoon of brown sugar, or molasses

Blanche the broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots until they are crisp-tender. Rinse in ice-water, then drain. Combine curry sauce. Heat skillet, add oil, fry onions and bell pepper 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir one minute. Add blanched vegetables, snap peas and mix. Stir in sauce, simmer a minute. Stir cornstarch into cold water and add to skillet. Stir 10 seconds. Add sesame oil, mix. Serve with steamed rice or noodles. Serves 2-4 persons.