I used the 18 inch, my biggest pan as the whole family came over for dinner. I basically followed the same recipe in my previous entry. They were going back for seconds; evidence that I cooked it well. I may have cooked it too well because to me the rice was a little over done. They might not have noticed but when it comes to paella I am critical. I had to cook it a little longer this time because when I checked it, the clams were not opened. I put 5 min more on the timer and compromised the rice density.

For next time, I will cook the paella strictly for 25 minutes. Then check at 20 min to see if seafood is done. If not done, turn up the heat. I am getting closer to my perfect paella!

Paella is so much better left over. So is sangria. I have a little bit of both for today’s lunch! 6 months ago

Finally the weather is better out. Feels like fall out so I took the opportunity to use the paella burner that I bought in San Diego months ago. The paella burner provides even heat for optimal cooking of the rice. I really enjoyed using it. It was easy to assemble and use. Here is the recipe and technique.

- Used my 14 in paella pan.
- 1 1/2 cup of rice (i used uncle ben’s rice)
- 3 1/4 cup broth
- half of a green pepper chopped
- half of a red pepper chopped
- 1/4 of a whole onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- a good pinch of saffron strands
- a handful of frozen peas
- 3 whole medium size calamari
- 8 jumbo prawns
- 6 clams
- a handful of bay scallops

after sauteing the vegetables add rice, stock and saffron and cook 15 min covered. add the seafood and cook another 10 minutes covered. Let it sit for 5 -10 min before serving with lemon wedges.

Things I will tweak for next time: Use Calaspara rice or Bomba rice. This rice is a short grain arborio rice. It comes from the southern region of Spain and is the rice of choice when it comes to paella. Most purist only use Bomba. I chose to use Uncle Ben’s because, I got this recipe from a Basque friend. There is a small Basque community here in Vegas. I went to a couple of their festival and they always use Uncle Ben’s long grain rice. Its just as good they say. The Basque people in my opinion are the best cooks in all of Spain. And they are doing some amazing stuff with food in that region.

I will add some paprika for a more smokier paella. I also want to try some lobster or crab legs. I would rate this Paella an 8 out of ten. I paired it with a good oaky chardonay. My cat, Capri seemed to agree that the paella was good. Look how content he is. 7 months ago

In my quest to make the perfect paella, there are certain tools I need. The traditional way is to cook paella over a fire, but to be more practical, I opted for a gas burner. I normally cook the paella right on my gas stove but the flame only covered a small circumference of my large paella pan. I finally bought a paella gas burner while on my recent trip to San Diego at a Spanish market called Pata Negra. The burner I bought was on sale for $106. The legs were sold separate and was about $36. The burner is for paella pans up to 22”. Its only for outdoor use. I will start refining my recipe in the Fall when the weather is more tolerable for cooking outside. 9 months ago

my plan of attack for the perfect paella:
- buy a paella propane burner next time i’m in san diego
- make my own broth and perfect it
- find a good fish monger in town for the freshest seafood
- find the perfect ratio of rice and broth. right now its 2parts broth to one part rice.
- need to pefect timing and heat adjustments.
- then after all that, solidify the recipe in writing for future generations to come. 11 months ago

I’m collecting recipes so send me a message if you think you have the best paella recipe. let me know if its your family recipe. I have my own recipe that i keep tweeking. i have 4 paella pans varying in sizes and i mostly make it on the stove. i will be going to san diego later this month and i will buy their outdoor paella gas burner. i also use bomba callaspara rice. my stock is just a generic can stock. any suggestions. i’m also vegetarian but will eat seafood at times. i’ll mark this off my 43 things list when i feel like i’ve perfected it and actually write down step by step detailed instructions. 23 months ago