Spanish Arroces

     Paella, as we normally think of it, contains all sorts of exotic seafood. Is this desirable? Yes, on occasion. Is it necessary always? No.
     Paella is only one kind of Spanish baked rice dish, or arroz. At the base of all arroces is a basic formula for rice preparation. Once you have become familiar with the basic technique, not really difficult to do, you can make simple or complex paella, or indeed any number of other arroces, with confidence.
     What is the common arroz procedure? Short-grain rice (never long-grain) is boiled in a measured amount of tasty stock until a consistency of porridge is reached. Into the parboiled rice are stirred meats, fish, and vegetables, as numerous or few as desired. The mixture is then baked for about 20 minutes.
     Unfortunately, I cannot advise you to practice by cooking the rice alone. While the Spanish baked rice will combine with a large number of happy combinations, it does need something. By itself, unlike most other rice, it is pretty blah.

     A tasty stock is necessary for Spanish baked rice. If you have no stock, a recipe is given below for an emergency stock flavored with garlic, thyme, and coriander seeds.
     In our household, paella invariably utilizes leftover chicken. If you do cook the chicken expressly for the paella, you can generate a stock during the cooking. A recipe is given.

Emergency Paella
GOURMET GHETTO

     The title for the recipe below comes from a British cookbook, which I can no longer find. I recall the author’s emergency paella as a clever invention using tinned items: oysters, chicken, and sausage, to feed a party of late-night revelers.
     Here we are using fresh ingredients. Emergency Paella is quite tasty, the oysters providing the essential flavor of the sea. It does require, as most arroces, a flavorful chicken or fish stock. (If you do not have this, make Emergency Stock below.)
     Saffron, when used, provides not only color but also a distinctive flavor. It is not necessary.
This is a good use for leftover chicken.
     Paella is a distinctly different dish the second day, but I have often enjoyed it as leftovers, refrigerated and gently reheated, or even cold.

Cooked chicken, 2-3 ounces per person, cut into  double bite-size pieces
Ham or sausage, coarsely chopped, 1/2 ounce, 2 tablespoons, more if desired
Olive oil, 1 tablespoon
Paella pan, 9 inch diameter, or skillet, no cover (6 cup capacity)

     Heat oil in pan. Add ham or sausage and sauté until done, about 10 minutes. If you wish to brown chicken pieces, dry them and sauté with the ham. Set the browned ham and chicken aside on a platter.
     (If ham is pre-cooked, and you do not wish to brown chicken, this step is omitted.)

     Add more oil to the pan if necessary. Sauté onions and garlic gently. Take out the garlic after 3 minutes, earlier if it turns brown. Continue cooking the onions a couple more minutes until they are wilted.
     Add the rice and stir to coat with oil (a wire whisk may be helpful here). Short-grain rice must be used. Long-grain or basmati will not withstand the baking.
     Cut the roasted red pepper into double bite-size pieces and stir them into the rice. Stir in the ham, but leave the chicken aside.

     Before parboiling, ready all additions.
     This is necessary because after parboiling is complete, all additions will be stirred into the rice, and the dish immediately placed in the oven. Here is a check list of additions:

          In the paella pan: ham, onions, peppers, rice
          Set aside: cooked chicken, raw oysters 
          Set aside: peas for final decoration
          Oven is at 325 degrees F.

     The key to parboiling is confidence that, at the time you actually add the liquid, you have 2 cups liquid for each cup of rice.
     Thus measure stock carefully, and bring it to the simmer. (Better yet, make an excess and ladle out with a long-handled measuring cup.)
     Heat the pan containing the onions and rice if it has cooled, so that you hear a sizzle with your ear close to the pan.
     Add simmering stock to the rice. Liquid should boil when added to pan, or soon after.
     Adjust salt. Boil steadily. Parboiling takes about 7 minutes, sometimes several minutes longer. Stir from time to time, constantly at end.
     The rice mixture will look like thin soup for what seems like forever. Do not lose confidence. At the end the rice will suddenly take it in mind to absorb liquid.
     Check carefully before taking from heat. Rice should no longer be soupy, but have very little liquid remaining. If you scrape a spoon across the bottom, the path should be dry, with no free liquid oozing into the path. Importantly, the rice should not yet taste cooked.

     When parboiling is completed, stir the cooked chicken pieces into the rice. Place the oysters on top, then push them halfway into the rice.
     Bake uncovered 20 minutes, or until rice tastes done. No moisture should be visible at the finish. Taste a grain of rice from the top and middle of the paella. Both should taste done, but not be tough.
     Remove and let sit 10 minutes.
     Distribute thawed peas over the rice. Place lemon wedges around the rice, and serve.

     Add wine and water to saucepan. Add seasonings, vinegar, and olive oil. Add optional sausage.
     Simmer steadily 20 minutes.

     Start emergency stock as above, in a saucepan with cover.
     Rinse chicken in cold water. Place in saucepan with the stock and braise at gentle simmer until juices run clear yellow, perhaps 30 minutes. Turn from time to time. If you have time, Let chicken cool in the cooking liquid.
     Remove chicken to a plate and cut off skin and bones. Cut into double bite-size pieces. This is now cooked chicken for paella or other use.

Paella A La Valenciana
SPANISH

     If you can cook Emergency Paella, you can make the real thing through additions at the appropriate times.
     The authority for this recipe is Penelope Casas, The Food and Wines of Spain. See Bookstore. The recipe below will get you fairly close to the original, minus a few refinements.
     Use saffron or not, Penelope Casas urges, but accept no substitutes: no turmeric, no artificial coloring, etc. Unlike most of her countrypersons, she likes this dish left over.

     To cook with the ham, add ¼ cup:
          sliced chorizo, diced pork chop
     Sauté 3 minutes and reserve with the chicken:
          shrimp, lobster claws or tails
     Before baking, stir in shrimp. Decorate with the lobster meat. Push slightly into rice, opening edge facing up:
          6 small clams, 6 small mussels
           After baking, spread thawed peas on top and garnish with lemon slices and parsley.

     Penelope Casas provides eighteen different arroces, each using the basic method above. These include black beans; egg-crusted rice with chickpeas and meatballs; rabbit with sausage, pork ribs, and pea pods; and more. There is even a vegetable version.
     In the old days the mother of all paellas contained only periwinkles or snails in shells, rabbit or chicken, green pepper, and tomatoes. While not internationally popular, Penelope Casas describes the taste combination as "inspired."