Last week’s DIY featured the paella mixta recipe of chef Lluis Cantons Pesarrodona, the new executive chef of Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas Center.
A mixture called picada, which he adds to the simmering rice, makes his paella most unusual.
Made of toasted almonds, hazelnuts, parsley, bread crumbs and garlic, the picada is something he said he learned from his father, who is himself a chef.
Due to time constraints I wasn’t able to add the picada in last week’s recipe. Nevertheless, the paella turned out scrumptious, bursting with the rich flavors of the sea.
Worth the effort
This week, with more time to spare, I was able to remake chef Lluis’s paella recipe with the picada added. Probably the hardest part in preparing it was peeling off the skin of the hazelnuts.
Of course, there were other steps involved, such as frying the parsley (quite an unusual technique) and making fresh bread crumbs.
But it was worth the effort because the picada made a difference. It added a slightly nutty, undefinable flavor to the paella.
A native of Catalan and a graduate of Joviat Escola d’Hoteleria I Turisme a Manresa, chef Lluis certainly knows Spanish cuisine. His favorite dishes, he says, are lechal (roasted baby lamb) and cochinillo (roasted suckling pig).
The best paella, he says, is cooked outdoors, over wood fire. But since that’s not possible in a hotel, he finishes cooking the paella in the oven.
Lluis concedes that there are many variations to this Spanish rice dish, including paella negra (black paella with squid ink), vegetarian paella, and seafood paella, which are served in Marco Polo’s Cucina restaurant during Thursday’s paella night
(For reservations, call 7207777).
Tips
But his paella mixta, which uses picada, is probably his favorite. Here, his tips for cooking paella at home and his recipe using picada.
“Use good quality olive oil. Avoid using olive oil labeled as Pomace, which may contain chemical solvents.
“Use only the freshest seafood. Mussels and clams must be shiny and tightly closed when purchased. They should have the clean, briny smell of the sea. (Alternatively, you can use frozen mussels from New Zealand, available in the freezer sections of large supermarkets and in S&R).
“Do not add chorizo to the paella. The flavor of chorizo is too strong and can obliterate the flavors of other ingredients. If you must add sausage, it’s better to use butifarra, a Catalan sausage.
“The best rice to use is bomba rice from Valencia, Spain. But since that’s too expensive, the next best is arroz de paella from Spain, which has small, stubby grains that can absorb the flavor of the stock.
One alternative is Arborio rice. Do not use Japanese rice, which is too sticky.
“There’s no need to serve paella with lemon. Lemon was served in the days of old to cover up the pungency of the seafood. If the seafood is very fresh, lemon is not necessary. However, when customers at Cucina ask for lemon, chef Lluis serves it.
“Paella is best eaten right after it’s cooked, while the flavors and aroma are very fresh.
Paella with Picada
For the fish stock:
2 kilos fish bones and trimmings (use white fish only)
½ c chopped onion
½ c chopped celery
½ cup chopped carrots
2 bay leaves
9 pieces peppercorns
½ c dry white wine
2 ½ liters (10 cups) water
In a large stockpot, put together the fish bones and trimmings, chopped onion, celery, carrots, bay leaves, peppercorns, white wine and water.
Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, skimming the liquid often. Strain the liquid very well through a fine sieve into a large container with a lid.
Let cool before covering with the lid. If not using immediately, refrigerate the fish stock until ready to use.
For the sofrito:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 c chopped onion
1 c chopped green bell pepper
1 c chopped red bell pepper
1 bay leaf
1 k tomatoes, skin removed
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and fry until golden brown. Stir in the chopped onions, green and red bell peppers and bay leaf.
Cook, stirring continuously over medium heat, until softened. Meanwhile, grate the skinned tomatoes. Add the grated tomatoes to the pan and let simmer over low heat for about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat.
For the picada:
50 g hazelnuts
50 g almonds (no skin)
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic
100 g parsley
50 g bread crumbs
½ c water
To peel the skin of the hazelnuts: Toast the hazelnuts in a nonstick pan, then transfer them immediately to a clean kitchen towel. Roll the towel over the hazelnuts, then press the hazelnuts with your palm, rolling back and forth until most of the skin has been removed from the nuts. Use a kitchen grater or vegetable peeler to peel off any remaining skin.
Toast the almonds in the same nonstick pan.
Heat olive oil in a pan and fry the garlic until golden brown. Remove from the pan. Add the parsley and cook until softened.
Combine the nuts, garlic, parsley, bread crumbs and water in a food processor or blender. Process until the mixture becomes a smooth paste. Set aside.
For the paella:
¼ c olive oil
½ k chicken (thighs, wings)
½ k about 8 pc) prawns
½ k squid, skin and ink sacs removed, cut into rings
2½ c arroz de paella (paella rice, see tips)
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 ½ c prepared sofrito (recipe above)
5 c fish stock (recipe above)
Few threads saffron
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ c of the prepared picada (recipe above)
½ k fish fillets
10-12 clams, parboiled (See tips.)
10-12 mussels, parboiled (See tips.)
Heat the olive oil in a paellera or a large shallow pan. Add the chicken and let cook, stirring chicken continuously until almost brown. Add the prawns and sear them in the hot oil just until they turn orange. Remove the prawns from the pan.
Stir in the squid and cook, stirring, for about one minute. Add the rice and stir it around the pan. Mix in the garlic and the prepared sofrito then pour in the prepared fish stock. Immediately add the saffron threads. Let simmer for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir in the picada, fish fillets, clams and mussels. Return the prawns to the pan. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the rice grains are fully cooked but there’s still enough liquid in the pan to keep the paella moist.
Alternatively, preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Put the paella pan in the oven and let cook until the rice grains are fully cooked but still moist.
For additional tips, see last week’s (Jan. 28) DIY column, page C4.