I recently met an enchanting woman who inspired me to make a Paella for her. I had never made a Paella before. Paella is a traditional Spanish dish that varies from region to region. The basics of this dish are garlic, shellfish, and saffron. This version I chose to use asparagus, peas, and no mussels...the market was out. But if you can get mussels...it totally makes the dish...mussels are the best for this dish.
The dish starts with olive oil, Spanish chorizo, chicken, garlic, onion, and saffron. There are close to two dozen ingredients in this dish and it is relatively simple to make. Here is the recipe. There are lots of ingredients. If you cannot find alcaparrado, you can use jarred olives with garlic and or pimentos, and capers. I like to slice the olives to spread the flavor. This dish is awesome and when made on medium low heat it takes about an hour...and if done properly there is a caramelization of of the rice on the bottom of the pan called "socarrat." It looks like it's burnt but it's not. It's delicious.
