My Authentic Meat and Seafood Paella

My Authentic Meat and Seafood Paella : instructions

• Initial preparations
  • 1
    Blanch the tomatoes for 15 seconds and remove them with a slotted spoon.
    Rinse the tomatoes under cold water, then peel them.
    Dice them and set aside.
  • 2
    Wash and deseed the bell peppers. Dice them and set aside.
    Peel and remove the core from the onions. Finely chop them and set aside.
    Peel and remove the core from the garlic (we’ll crush it at the last minute).
  • 3
    Thaw the squid rings in lukewarm water (or in the refrigerator overnight).
    Rinse them and cut them into rings about half a centimeter thick.
  • 4
    Clean the mussels and cook them in a pot over high heat until they open quickly.
    Discard any empty shells.
    Set them aside in their cooking liquid.
  • 5
    Cut the pork into pieces.
    Slice the chorizo into rounds.
  • 6
    Prepare the langoustine court-bouillon using the ingredients listed.
    Bring to a boil and poach the langoustines for 5 minutes in the gently simmering water.
    Drain and keep warm. Strain and set aside the langoustine cooking liquid; you’ll use it later to moisten the rice.
• Cooking meat
  • 7
    Place the paella pan on a stove or a large enough stovetop.
  • 8
    In a large paella pan, brown the chicken and pork loin over high heat in olive oil for about five minutes.
    Remove the meat from the pan and keep warm, covered. Keep the cooking juices in the pan.
    
    Do not cook the meat all the way through; just brown it, as it will have plenty of time to cook later.
  • 9
    In another skillet, cook the chorizo over low heat for about 5 minutes to render the fat.
    Keep the chorizo warm, without its cooking juices.
    
    Do not pour the chorizo cooking juices down the sink—you risk clogging your drain!
• The sofrito
  • 10
    Add a little oil to the large paella pan, then add the diced peppers.
    Sauté for 5 minutes.
  • 11
    In a skillet, add the garlic (pressed with a garlic press), the onion, and the diced tomatoes.
    Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.
• The broth
  • 12
    Bring the specified amount of water to a boil.
    Strain the mussel juice and pour it into the pan over the tomatoes.
    Season with pepper, then add the hot water, salt, and pepper, as well as the chili pepper (optional).
    Bring to a boil and adjust the salt to taste (better a little too salty than too bland!).
  • 13
    Poach the shrimp in this broth for 5 minutes, then drain them and set aside.
• Cooking rice
  • 14
    Rinse the rice and rub it between your hands. Add it to the boiling broth.
    Add the saffron, Pimentón de la Vera, and turmeric.
    Let it cook for 10 minutes over high heat (the rice should cook for a total of 20 minutes).
    
    The Chef's Tip

    
    - Once you’ve spread the rice evenly in the pan, don’t touch it (don’t stir it),
    - The paella must never stick to the pan, otherwise the whole dish will taste burnt. Add hot water as soon as the paella is no longer moist and juicy. Use the cooking water from the langoustines (strained) first,
    - Since the paella cooks without stirring, make sure to distribute the liquid evenly over the entire surface when you baste the dish,
    - Swirl the paella pan occasionally so that the rice cooks evenly throughout the pan.
  • 15
    Next, place the raw squid rings on top of the paella and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
• Final assembly
  • 16
    The rice still has 5 minutes left to cook.
    Arrange the drained and rinsed peas (along with the artichoke hearts, if you’ve chosen to include them), the chicken, pork, and chorizo, and the langoustines and shrimp on top of the rice. Place the mussels with their points facing down.
    
    The Chef's Tip

    If you want to impress your guests, arrange the shrimp, mussels, and langoustines in an attractive pattern. For example, you can arrange them in a circle around the pan, alternating shrimp and langoustines, and pointing them all in the same direction (either toward the center or toward the outside of the pan).
  • 17
    Once cooked, cover with a large kitchen towel, aluminum foil, or a large lid for 10 minutes before serving.
    Garnish with lemon wedges and enjoy!