Fish - Alan's Cookbook

Paella
Paella is traditionally made in a “paellera,” a large round or oval
flat-bottomed pan, without stirring, over a wood fire. I
recommend gas, unless you just love cleaning the blackened
smudge off the bottom of large round pans.
Ground veal or beef
Ground sausage
Medium shrimp
Scallops
Calamari
Filet of firm fish
Chicken broth
Clam broth
White wine
Onion
Carrots
Bell peppers
Bread crumbs
Eggs
Parsley
Cognac
Pepper
Olive oil
Arborio rice
Saffron
Thyme and bay leaves
Optional
Chicken
Duck
Clams and mussels
Serves 8-12
Cooking time: 90 minutes
Veal is preferred for its milder flavor. Make sure
all seafood is fresh smelling—if there is any
ammonia smell after you wash it is probably bad.
Pino Grigio is a good wine to use. Chicken and
shellfish are traditional additions.
Make small meatballs with the veal, some finely
chopped onion, bread crumbs, chopped parsley
and enough egg to bind them.
Repeat with the sausage, using finely chopped
bay instead of parsley, and no onion.
Cut the calamari into rings and bite size pieces.
Cut the carrots and peppers into small julienned
pieces, about 1/8” x 1/8” x 1/2”. Keep in water.
Sauté the scallops in butter or oil. As soon as
everything is very hot, splash in some cognac and
light it. Cook about 2 minutes total and remove to
a large mixing bowl.
Add oil to the pan, keeping the heat high, and do
the same with the calamari. Three minutes
should be plenty.
Repeat with the shrimp. Remove them as soon as
they turn red.
Turn the heat down and sauté the fish until flaky.
Now, in the paellera, cook a couple cups of rice,
dry, until it begins to pop. Add an equal amount
of wine, and let the alcohol boil off. Now add
three times that amount of broth—using some of
it to deglaze the sauté pan first. Arrange into this
all the rest of the main ingredients, some thyme
leaves and a bay leaf or two, and generous
pinches of pepper and saffron. Reduce heat and
cook gently until done, about 45 minutes.
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