It's no secret that I have a slight fascination with anything Spanish. Spain is in my top 5 places (OK....it's the top place in the 5) to go on a holiday. I love the food, the culture, the language...the sangria, the Spanish men with accents (sorry S).....and I especially love Paella (see original recipe here).
Paella, like risotto, is one of those meals that takes some time and effort to cook, and on a weeknight, who has that? Since I was off to Kevin the magic hands man after work (and yes....wonderful massage. You know it's good if you catch yourself almost drooling while lying on the table), I was going to be a bit late getting home. And since S and his buddy were busy, it was 8 p.m. before I started cooking dinner. So tonight was a recipe for Cheater Paella.
I am not one for quick versions of food (except stroganoff), so I was hesitant to try this. There is no rice (uh oh), there is no saffron (blasphemy!). How good could this be?
I won't go so far as to say it was amazing. It was quick (20 minutes, start to finish), and I could barely taste the olives. I used hot chorizo instead of mild and the flavours surprisingly resembled paella. And couscous as we all know is the little miracle grain that requires nothing more than boiling liquid and a lid on your pot - it worked well as a rice substitute.If you are looking for a quick meal and want to pretend you are in Spain, I'd recommend it. If it is a Saturday night though, do the prep work and go for the real thing.
You can find the recipe HERE.
You know, I've never made Paella before, but looking at this, I am going to give it a try. I'll remember about the chorizo since i adore olives. Thanks for poasting this.
ReplyDeleteHey, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! "Cheating" is perfectly understandable, and this looks like a good dish for enjoying a taste of Spain during the week.
ReplyDeleteKatherine - oh man..you don't know what you are missing by not making Paella! This is a great introduction to it though.
ReplyDeletePalidor - it's cold and foggy here this a.m. I bet Spain would be nicer.
Oh Cathy, this sounds like a wonderful life saver ! Plus my husband would never know I took a short cut, he would just assume I slaved in the kitchen to achieve this wonderful dish ;) ...is that cheating ? :) Eitherway, this sounds perfect and the technique is super simple. We are huge cous cous fans, & I make it allllll the time, so a new recipe, whats more a paella version, is just incredible to me. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd I have to totally agree about the Spanish men!
Nat - nope, if he thinks you slaved away and you didn't it's called time management ;)
ReplyDeleteSpryte - lol....find me a girl without a weakness for Spanish men :)
So many fond memories of Spain but so many bad Paellas there. Why not couscous? I'm sure it's better than the one I had in Seville.
ReplyDeleteOH Taste.....don't dash my dreams hon....
ReplyDeleteSpanish cheating is no cheating :) This is terribly great!! I must do this...must must must!
ReplyDeleteJhonny - Spanish cheating isn't cheating? I like how you think girl :)
ReplyDeleteMy dad's paellas are more like fried rice, but it still works.
ReplyDeleteThis looks good! I do like couscous...
mmmm - fried rice!! Wandering, I'd take any kind of rice dish :)
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious! Love the olives and the shrimp!! And no, that is not cheating! Cooking is an art form and anything goes, as far as I'm concerned, except maybe microwave food. :)
ReplyDeleteMarguerite - we are slowly renoing the kitchen. I don't even have the microwave hooked up now....it's been 4 months! Don't miss it at all.
ReplyDeleteSomething quick, that involves pretending and turns out delicious is so for me. In a nutshell. Sounds like a great choice. Was there a handsome Spaniard holding moroccas nearby whilst you pretended you were in Spain?
ReplyDeleteOnly in my dreams Donna!
ReplyDeleteI love paella and also often cheat when making it on a weeknight. Here's my recipe:
ReplyDeleteIngredients: (Note: Quantities depend on what you like and how many people you have)
Shrimp
Chorizo
Chicken
Creole Seasoning
Chopped Onion
Chopped Garlic
Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (Spanish)
Directions:
1. Prepare Rice according to package (approx. 1 package per person if a main dish). Let sit in microwave until ready to use.
2. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to large pan or wok. Heat on Medium until hot enough to make onion sizzle. Add onion and garlic. Cook until they begin to brown. Leaving flavored oil in pan, remove half of the veggies.
3. Add chorizo (I prefer to remove from sausage casing and chop) to pan and cook for 3 minutes. Add chicken (I prefer to slice in short small slices). When chicken is no longer pink, add shrimp (I prefer to butterfly). You do not want to overcook the shrimp. When it is pink on one side, flip and after 1 minute add rice.
4. Stir fry rice with the meat until nicely mixed. Add Creole seasoning to taste. Serve with bread on the side (I know it’s mixing ethnicities, but I like to serve with tandoori naan).
MMMM Chelsea thanks for the recipe! Your version sounds delicious!
ReplyDelete