Paella

The incredible flavours of paella (pa-ey-a) never cease to amaze me. The number of times I've had paella that didn't measure up also never ceases to amaze me. The real trick in taking this from ho-hum to incredible is the correct layering of flavour. Ok, so I'm not sure if even I'm doing it properly but the paella I make has always made me happier than anything I've tried in a restaurant.

Paella takes time to make. If all you have is an hour to get dinner on the table - don't even go there. Take your time, pour a glass of the region's wine - enjoy the process...did I say pour some more wine?


2-3 tblsp olive oil
1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp (I used frozen)
1 pkg of hot Italian sausage
2 boneless chicken breasts cut in chunks
2-3 chicken legs (optional)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion diced
1 1/2 cup long grained rice (uncooked)
1/2 tsp hot paprika
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. tumeric
pinch of saffron
4 cups tomatoes (I used 2 cans 1-diced and 1-whole tomatoes)
3 cups chicken broth (home made or low sodium)
1 1/2 - 2 cups frozen peas
salt and pepper to taste

I usually add mussels to the paella but couldn't find any this time at the market.

Process:



1. Soak saffron threads in 2-3 tblsp of water.



2. In a heavy saute pan heat 1 tblsp olive oil to medium-high heat and add shrimp cooking until just pink on both sides (not more than 5 minutes) Transfer to a bowl until you're ready to use them again.





3. Add another tblsp of oil and add sausage to pain cooking until the sausage is golden brown. Remove sausage to a dish/bowl until ready to use again.



4. Add chicken pieces and saute to get the pink out.
5. Add diced onion until translucent - approximately 5-6 minutes.
6. Add rice and garlic stirring to coat rice with onions.
7. Combine paprika, turmeric, strained saffron juice, tomatoes and chicken broth and mix, bringing up the bits on the bottom of the pan to incorporate to the mix.



8. Return sausage to the pan and mix everything together.
9. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer. Cover and cook until rice is tender and has absorbed most of the moisture. Check every now and again to make sure the rice isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add more chicken broth if necessary.
10. About 5 minutes before serving time, add the shrimp and peas to the pan. Stir.




11. Adjust seasonings, serve and garnish. Total heaven.

Tequila Lime Shrimp with Pasta

Are you tired of snow yet? Here's my balcony:



Yesterday, after the snowfall we ventured out for a walk. Low and behold, we ended up at a bakery. Walks that end up at food locations are the best. Here are some St. Patrick Day cookies.



They go well with today's theme.



Emiline is hosting a St. Paddy's Day Pub Crawl Blogging Event. To participate, you need to cook and post a savory or sweet dish, using beer, wine, or hard liquor/liqueur.

I chose to feature tequila. Cause nothing says St. Patrick's Day like tequila.



Ok...maybe not. But, I've been wanting to try a tequila lime shrimp recipe for a couple of months now and this seemed like a great opportunity.

But before I talk about the recipe. I want to introduce a poll I've added. If you look at the top of the post, you'll see a poll. I was inspired to add this after yesterday's dinner. I invited a good friend of mine over for dinner. Throughout my dinner preparations, she would pop into the kitchen area and make some comment about how I was preparing things. When I warmed up soup for the recipe, she questioned why I did it on the stove instead of the microwave. When I was cutting the peppers, she questionned the amount of pepper in the recipe. She questioned the jalapeno. She questioned the lime squeezing method...the list goes on. By "questioned", I mean "expressed negative judgement". Finally, I got firm with her and kicked her out of the kitchen area. I just don't think I'm very compatible with others in the kitchen. Unless there is a lot of space (which isn't the case in my kitchen), or someone wants to be my kitchen bitch, I'm not interested in having help. What's your position on helpers in the kitchen?

Tequila Lime Shrimp with Pasta

Here are most of the ingredients:



1 tbsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 jalapeno peppers, minced
1/2 cup tequila (you may also use rum or vodka)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup lime juice (about 3-4 limes)
3 bell peppers (yellow, red and orange) thinly sliced
1 medium red onion thinly sliced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/2 pound of large, raw shelled shrimp
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 box of linguini, fettucini or spaghetti

To start, place thawed shrimp in small bowl and marinate in soy sauce for at least 15 minutes. Create a paste by sautéing garlic, coriander and jalapenos in olive oil in large pan on medium-high until translucent and slightly softened (about 5 minutes, stirring often). Add tequila, broth and lime juice to paste and reduce until mixture turns thick, about 5-7 minutes. Once paste is thick, remove from pan and set aside.

Meanwhile, boil pasta until al dente. Sautee peppers and onions in oil on medium heat in large pan until slightly softened (about 5-7 minutes).



Add flavour paste and combine thoroughly. Remove pan from heat, add cream and stir until vegetables are well coated. Increase heat until sauce comes to a gentle boil. Cook for about 10 minutes until sauce thickens slightly, then add shrimp and soy sauce. When shrimp turns pink, add well-drained pasta, mix well and serve immediately.



This dish is quite good. Next time, I'll have to be a bit more patient with allowing the sauce to reduce. Also, I tried to use my new juicing tool for the lime juice. I must be doing something wrong, because I had to switch back to plain old squeezing after a few attempts with it:



Have a happy St. Paddy's day.



Have a pint, on me..

Since the blogging event is a pub crawl, I've decided to grab a pint of Strongbow at this stop. It's my favorite drink and is close enough to beer that I can get away with drinking it without having to order a really girly drink.



I'll also be submitting this recipe to this week's Presto Pasta Night Roundup

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I've been so good - really I have. I've been watching my carbs, keeping up the exercise, going to yoga faithfully, getting the right amounts of fruit and veggies, drinking lots of water and then KABOOM!!!! While watching mindless t.v. I had this craving - you know the type I mean - a craving that literally drives you off the couch and into the kitchen to look through ingredients to see what's lurking in the cupboards and screaming out for centre stage appearance.

I think subconsciously I was remembering an event I attended last night that had great promise to be an evening to remember. It was one of those get all dressed up events, pay an enormous amount of money to attend, go crazy at the open bar and get served an incredible meal. Some of the expectations were satisfied. I knew the theme was going to be retro and the decor was so fun. Here's our table centre - isn't it just creative genius?



The meal was a bit of a letdown - just really average and unworthy of taking a picture. The dessert was rather interesting. The little square on the tart is actually a square of chocolate.



Oh yes, back to the what's in the cupboard and my sweet craving. I was fortunate enough to find all the ingredients for something that I haven't made in literally years but always loved. Chocolate Zucchini Cake - that actually takes me back in time (hence the connection to retro).

Your usual suspects:



Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt (I used 1/2 tsp)
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 cup oil
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup nuts or raisins (I used raisins - was thinking of Psychgrad who generally doesn't like nuts and really likes raisins)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar (I used 1/4 cup and it was fine)
Chocolate chips (2 or 3 good handfuls)

Process:

1. Butter and flour 9x13" pan
2. Blend all dry ingredients and raisins (or nuts)
3. Beat eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and zucchini in a separate bowl. (use a larger bowl)
4. Add dry ingredients to mixture alternately with milk.
5. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
6. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes - 1 hour (50 minutes was perfect for me)









Note: This cake is deceiving. You wouldn't think it would be as chocolatey as it is but it has this rich round flavour that satisfies both a carb and a chocolate craving. I'm typing this post from my treadmill (just kidding)