craftygal fridge - Recipe for a Romantic Puerto Rican Paella

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A Valentine's Day Paella

by Amie

In Judith Ortiz Cofer’s The Latin Deli, Manuel whispers to Corazon about his love for cooking "stalks of the fat little guineitos ninos that are melt in your mouth when fried." Laura Esquivel, in Like Water for Chocolate, combines food, anger, and passion. And, Ang Lee, co-screenwriter and director of Eat Drink Man Woman, equates cooking with love and desire.

This Valentine’s Day, instead of a predictable meal and a box of the same-old-chocolates, tempt your taste buds by making a paella, a traditional Spanish dish made with rice and seafood, with your special sweetie. Although this meal is on the expensive side, and takes some time to make, the time it takes to prepare is part of the fun of the tension that will, if you follow this simple recipe, ultimately lead to a tasty release.

To make this meal for two a feast you will never forget, add empanadas and plantains to the menu. Sangria, a sugary red wine and citrus beverage, goes best with paella, so when setting out your best china and cloth napkins, don’t forget the wineglasses. For the best effect, use candles and turn out the lights, and put on soft jazz or classical music. Eat slowly and savor, or better yet, feed each other! Soon, food and love will be inseparable. This Valentine’s Day watch the fires of passion--and hopefully not the fire of your paella burning--ignite.

Ingredients:

Rice

1 1/2 cups Uncle Ben’s Long Grain White Rice

Seafood

1/2 lb. clams

3 crab legs (optional)

2 lobster tails

1/2 lb. mussels

1/2 lb. scallops

1/2 lb. shrimp

Seasoning and Condiments

4 tbsp. olive oil

A pinch of saffron threads (found in the spice aisle)

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 packet Sazon (Goya brand) con Culantro y Achiote (with Coriander and Annatto)

3 heaping tbsp. Sofrito (Goya brand)

2 tbsp. Spanish olives (Goya brand)

Start by cooking the seafood. Don’t worry if it gets cold, as it will be heated as it as added to the rice at the end.
Peel shrimp. Pan fry shrimp and scallops together with 2 tbsp. olive oil until golden brown. Set aside.
Boil 2 lobster tails and 3 crab legs (optional) for 5-10 minutes, or until hard. Remove lobster and crab legs from shells.
Steam the mussels and clams until the shells open up. Keep the mussels and clams in their shells.
Make 6 servings of rice in a 16-inch paella pan or a large pot by following the instructions on the back of the rice box. Use 2 tbsp. olive oil, instead of butter or margarine, for less fat and better taste.
After the rice has been cooking for a minute or two, add a pinch of saffron threads, the 1/2 packet of Sazón con Culantro y Achiote, 3 heaping tbsp. of Sofrito, and 2 tbsp. Spanish olives.
As the rice will cook in 20 minutes, add the set aside cooked seafood in with the rice when there are two minutes cooking time left. Muy Rico!