There are some VERY unusual recipes in that book...
My wife found them in San Diego and then we realized they have WA locations.
My wife found them in San Diego and then we realized they have WA locations.
I have two of the older Cuisinart models and think they do a fine job. Its nice right out of the machine but even better with a little bit of freezer time. Tip: pack the ice cream tightly into a plastic storage container and press plastic wrap tightly down across the surface before putting on the lid. Place in the freezer for an hour or more. 🤙
Sounds quite good. But I would be concerned that the rice won't get the taste of the fish. Could you split the fish? Stuff like scallops, clams, squid, octopus throw them into the rice once it has got to boiling and let them cook so they release their water into the rice. The white fish can be cooked separately to give it some crispyness without over cooking it and the shrimp just gets added towards the latest stages.
Just don't forget the tomatoes and adding some saffron to the beef/chicken/vegetable stock to cook the rice.
I also like to add smoked Spanish paprika into my mine. Fried into the tomatoes to bring out its aroma.
Paella is really a very simple dish. It's a farmer's meal, traditionally cooked out for the midday meal on the fields. One pan, one fire, all meats. Today's urban paellas Surf And Turf ( mine had chicken a chorizo de cantimpalo ) as well as squid, scallops, muscle clams and shrimp. The fishermen used to make paellas when they got home from fishing so they get lots of fish. Even Squid/Octopus ink. There's always Paella de Cazador ( Hunter's Paella ) with rabbit, quail, snails.
Even rice is not a constant. There's something called Fiduea which is made with a vermicelli like pasta in lieu of rice.
As far as I'm concerned the only constants are the method and order of cooking and the modern usage of saffron... ALWAYS good Spanish saffron.
Here's a Fiduea I made not so long ago with the squid ink.
OH, here's a secret.... since we like using some fish for our rice base... when we make meat paella we add Hon dashi.
OH, here's a secret.... since we like using some fish for our rice base... when we make meat paella we add Hon dashi. You ought to have that in Brazil as you have a large population of Japanese expats over there, huh?
Last edited:
Yep.
We just like to take heavy cream, a little bit of sugar, some Splenda and vanilla and then add stuff like berries.
Use our old Cuisinart ( we got a spare tub so we can make extras ), mix, pour into a Tupperware with the plastic sheet and then sealed and then give them a few hours of freezer time as you point out.
I've never tried eggs or anything fancy. The only fancy thing will be the drink... sometimes a nice port, a cognac, cordial.... Great in the summer, wonderful in our Christmas.
The other fancy thing we do, assuming we had a plan that day, is to macerate strawberries in Triple Sec for a bit and add them on the ice cream with fresh whipped cream ( sugar/Splenda) when serving.
Yes, as a matter of facts, in the eyes of many teetotaler Protestants we are drunks. ;-)
My mistake, I wasn’t clear enough.
Grilling the ingredients on the parrilla is just an extra step to add smokiness and a different flavor to the paella. The rest of the recipe and ingredients are still there — the rice (bomba) is cooked with a homemade fish/shrimp/vegetable stock; good-quality saffron is added with the stock; garlic, onions, red and yellow peppers, paprika, peeled/seedless tomatoes are also included; and some other stuff I can’t remember right now 😂.
I actually never let all the seafood cook together with the rice from the beginning. I feel it makes the shrimp, squid, and octopus too chewy for my taste, and the fish simply falls apart. What I usually do is heat up the paellera, cook each seafood item one at a time for just a few seconds or up to a minute, and then set them aside. Then I follow the recipe: adding garlic, onion, vegetables, rice, stock, etc. When the rice is partially cooked, I add the seafood back in, mix everything, add the stock one last time, and let it finish cooking without touching the paellera.
By doing that, the flavor from the seafood is released and “integrated” into the dish, and I ensure that all the seafood stays nice and tender.
Yep, there are a lot of Japanese people living in Brazil. Interesting recommendation… I’ll do a bit of research — I might try replacing the homemade stock with Hon Dashi sometime. Thanks for the tip!
I add the fish into the liquid once it has come to a boil.... then make a few turns of the whole mixture and turn the heat down and let it sit for 20 or more minutes. The meats go in right after the onions and garlic.... As you say, putting the fish earlier is a measure for disaster.
First thing is to fry the peppers in the olive oil, then take them out and reserve them until the end when you lay them out on top of the rice... with the peas, and the whole shrimp and muscle clams.
A variation is not to use the fancy shrimp... and just use a seafood meddley frozen bags.... then use red pimento strips on top of the rice to make it look pretty.
Important note... DO NOT stir the rice when you settle the heat down.... you want to create a nice socarrat.
And serve the dish with lemons wedges and crusty bread. Always....
OH, try getting some Spanish smoke paprika. Add some to the paella, it adds the flavor of chorizos. A very nice variation. In Catalunya there are two groups of people... those who make paellas with pimenton and those who don't. I think Valencia got rid of those who make it with.... as my great, great, great, great grandfather left that place... and that side of the family makes it with pimenton.
Think Red Paella vs Yellow Paella. Both are fine in my book, but you can guess which kind I cook?
Enjoy, take pictures.
First thing is to fry the peppers in the olive oil, then take them out and reserve them until the end when you lay them out on top of the rice... with the peas, and the whole shrimp and muscle clams.
A variation is not to use the fancy shrimp... and just use a seafood meddley frozen bags.... then use red pimento strips on top of the rice to make it look pretty.
Important note... DO NOT stir the rice when you settle the heat down.... you want to create a nice socarrat.
And serve the dish with lemons wedges and crusty bread. Always....
OH, try getting some Spanish smoke paprika. Add some to the paella, it adds the flavor of chorizos. A very nice variation. In Catalunya there are two groups of people... those who make paellas with pimenton and those who don't. I think Valencia got rid of those who make it with.... as my great, great, great, great grandfather left that place... and that side of the family makes it with pimenton.
Think Red Paella vs Yellow Paella. Both are fine in my book, but you can guess which kind I cook?
Enjoy, take pictures.
https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/prawn-biryani-recipe-prawn-recipes/
No ties...this is descended from the same Central Asian roots, pulao became paella.
Pulao with 50% or so meat is called biryani, if it is haveing less meat / vegetables it is called pulao.
The main variation in cooking is the bringing together of the rice, which cooks faster than meat, and the spice / gravy addition.
One method is to nearly cook separately both the rice and 'filler' (meat or whatever), and cook them together just before the service for less than 5 minutes or so.
The other method is to nearly cook the meat / vegetables in a liquid gravy, then add soaked rice at the right time, and let the rice cook in the gravy with the main ingredient still in it, end result should be a moist dry dish, not runny, that takes judgement at times.
There are many styles of biryani in India, chicken seems the largest selling, then goat / lamb.
Fish and prawns basically in coastal areas with access to fresh fish, and also people who like fish.
Beef, not so much, it takes too long, and for religious reasons less than 20% of the population eats it.
Vegetables and eggs are added in different areas, a boiled egg and lemon wedges are commonly added at service time in Andhra Pradesh State.
Also a 'raita' of diluted curds, with chopped onions, tomatoes and seasonal salad veggies like cucumber is served, and a small quantity of dry seasonal salad items like cucumber is served, with a small bowl of 'sheera', which is the gravy from a similar dish, as a moistening agent if the diner finds the gravy dry, this is common only in South India, you have to ask for it in the rest of India.
Bases other than rice, like broken wheat, or pasta / noodles, are quite unusual here in India.
There are also differences in cooking because we have many varieties of rice, some cook faster than others, and their fragrance and so on are different...Kerala State likes wild brown rice in fish biryani, for instance.
For those curious, many resources are available on line.
No ties...this is descended from the same Central Asian roots, pulao became paella.
Pulao with 50% or so meat is called biryani, if it is haveing less meat / vegetables it is called pulao.
The main variation in cooking is the bringing together of the rice, which cooks faster than meat, and the spice / gravy addition.
One method is to nearly cook separately both the rice and 'filler' (meat or whatever), and cook them together just before the service for less than 5 minutes or so.
The other method is to nearly cook the meat / vegetables in a liquid gravy, then add soaked rice at the right time, and let the rice cook in the gravy with the main ingredient still in it, end result should be a moist dry dish, not runny, that takes judgement at times.
There are many styles of biryani in India, chicken seems the largest selling, then goat / lamb.
Fish and prawns basically in coastal areas with access to fresh fish, and also people who like fish.
Beef, not so much, it takes too long, and for religious reasons less than 20% of the population eats it.
Vegetables and eggs are added in different areas, a boiled egg and lemon wedges are commonly added at service time in Andhra Pradesh State.
Also a 'raita' of diluted curds, with chopped onions, tomatoes and seasonal salad veggies like cucumber is served, and a small quantity of dry seasonal salad items like cucumber is served, with a small bowl of 'sheera', which is the gravy from a similar dish, as a moistening agent if the diner finds the gravy dry, this is common only in South India, you have to ask for it in the rest of India.
Bases other than rice, like broken wheat, or pasta / noodles, are quite unusual here in India.
There are also differences in cooking because we have many varieties of rice, some cook faster than others, and their fragrance and so on are different...Kerala State likes wild brown rice in fish biryani, for instance.
For those curious, many resources are available on line.
Last edited: