Basics of Paella

Paella is all about the spices and meats. For spices, find a good paprika. Whether its sweet or smoky, this spice will give your dish sooo much flavor. Paella is known for including saffron. This spice can be tricky to find… turmeric can be used as a substitute. I love using either andouille or chorizo sausage and shrimp as my protein of choice.

Recipe Name: Basics of Paella

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• prep time: 20 minutes
• cook time: 30 minutes
• Servings: 4
  
  Ingredients:
  • 1 small white onion chopped finely
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil (enough to generously coat florets)
  • 2 tbsp white wine or white wine vinegar
  • 1 cup red bell pepper chopped finely
  • 5 sausages (chorizo or andouille) cut up
  • 1 1/2 cups of rice
  • 1 tsp each of paprika, turmeric, and saffron
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 lb shrimp
  • Garnish with lemons, artichoke hearts, chopped parsley
• Instructions:
  • Kids Prep: Great for adding finishing touches when they get home from school! Chopping parsley, draining artichoke hearts, etc. If you want to incorporate them along the way, they can help measure rice or broth. They can also use kid safe knives to assist with cutting bell pepper. Kids loves seasoning with spices.
  • Adult Prep: This is all a one pan meal! Start by prepping your onion and garlic... mince them up. Over medium heat, saute garlic and onion in oil. When softened, add in white wine vinegar. Then toss in the chopped bell pepper and sausage. Saute for another minute or two. Pour in the rice and mix. Reduce heat. Season with the three spices listed above. Pour in chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Simmer with lid for about 20 minutes. Add dash of water if rice soaks up all of the liquid. Meanwhile, cook the shrimp, drain the artichoke hearts, cut the lemon, and chop the parsley... garnish on top of rice mixture when cooked through.