We decided to fix paella for Christmas Eve supper this year.\u00a0 We have almost no connection to any Spanish heritage.\u00a0 My uncle Dean was married to my aunt Choni, a Spanish war bride.\u00a0 And Debbie’s family has had two Spanish exchange students (although one was Basque so we’re not sure whether to count her or not.)\u00a0 But nonetheless I have a paella pan, that I’d only used to make jambalaya previously, and the kids were home for Christmas, so paella it was.<\/p>\n
I had hoped the weather would cooperate so I could cook outside over a wood fire, but we have 30 degrees, rain, and a 25 mph east wind here today.<\/p>\n
The paella was a bit loaded, I saw recipes like this called “celebration paella” on-line somewhere. \u00a0 It was chicken (marinated in a bit of paprika and oregano), \u00a0 Spanish chorizo, some of my home cured ham<\/a>, mussels, clams, and shrimp.<\/p>\n And it turned out fantastic.\u00a0 The shrimp was cooked but not tough, the rice was al dente, and it had a beautiful socarrat. (burned rice on the bottom, yum!)<\/p>\n But a picture is worth a thousand words, so here’s six thousand words or so:<\/p>\n Getting started, browning some onions and garlic.<\/p>\n![\"1\"](\"http:\/\/chuckzumbrun.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/picture-029.jpg\")
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