Welcome to the 19th year of What’s For Dinner!
So in my last diary, I talked about my new favorite way to cook rice, “Golden Butter Rice”. I was thinking, since I had some smoked chorizo in my freezer, “Hey! You can make a paella with this technique!” Here’s how I did it.
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So I started with the chorizo, and started rendering some fat. Then I added squeeze onion, squeeze roasted garlic, and anchovy paste.
Once that got going, I added salted butter and turmeric. Again, no salt because chorizo, salted butter, and anchovy paste. I did add some butter buds, though, just because.
Then in went the rice.
After giving that a good fry up, in went my saffron water, along with a pound of scallops. I could have added some peas, but I didn’t want to.
No muss, no fuss, bring to a boil, cover, simmer 15 minutes, turn off the heat and rest. Then as I fluffed, I added an 8oz package of fake lobster and mixed it in. Presto! Paella!
I did let the rice go a bit too far, so it got a little clumpy, but not much. As for the flavor, the scallops were NOT overcooked, and while the chorizo dominated, you still got the sweetness from the scallops and fake lobster chunks. Plus that glorious saffron aroma. AND I got a bit of socarrat. Although not browned, it did get crispy.
So this paella took about a half hour or so to cook including rice rest time. It was so quick because I didn’t use chicken. Cooking dark meat takes time.
Tonight I’m making another version of this, using Mexican chorizo—the kind that’s more like a paste—and shrimp, including some smoked shrimp from my new favorite place. I will be doing a diary on this Chicago landmark soon. Anyway, I’ll be using the shells to make the saffron laced stock for the rice. That diary will be long and picture heavy, because I’ve been eating a LOT of smoked fish from that place lately.
I also have a question for our WFD community: What are your thoughts on cooking lamb breast in a slow cooker?
So that’s my cheater version of a paella. The table is now open—What’s on everyone’s plate tonight?
