ok, there are too many variations on paella, i think. but, i am asking for a good recipe. i want to make dinner for two of my friends' birthday in feb and march...so, i will have to arrange it sometime in between.

beside that, i want to make some kale with some oysters and bacon. what would be a good bacon to use with this? a smoky flavor??

also, with stuffed peppers---what is a good meat to use other than beef and/or pork---i don't want to use either. thinking of a lamb/turkey mix.

and finally, cheese biscuits----along with cheddar, what is a good cheese that would go along with it.

there will be other vegetables...but, i don't need help with them.

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if anything, what type of rice is best for paella?

***i want to make some kale with some oysters and bacon. what would be a good bacon to use with this? a smoky flavor??

I'd go for smokey. I also like pancetta, which you could get at Italian pork stores. It's salt and air cured, not smoked, if you prefer a milder flavor so you could taste the oysters and kale.

***also, with stuffed peppers---what is a good meat to use other than beef and/or pork---i don't want to use either. thinking of a lamb/turkey mix.

Lamb/turkey would work...you could also break some Italian sausage out of their casings and mix that in as well. Get the spicy ones.

***and finally, cheese biscuits----along with cheddar, what is a good cheese that would go along with it.

I'm always partial to Italian foods...good Parmigiano or Asiago I say. You could also find those at Italian pork stores/cheese shops. Get the genuine stuff. Asiago has a nuttier flavor that might go well with biscuits. I'm assuming you're going to grate it into the flour?

***
For paella, I've never made, but some of my friends who know say medium grain. They'll soak up the flavors without getting soggy. Long grain will fall apart I think. If you could find bomba, great, otherwise go with Goya. You have saffron?

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Yellow rice is used for Paella.

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The saffron makes the rice yellow and gives it flavor. Some restaurants cheat and use food coloring instead, hence yellow rice. This guy recommends a Goya medium grain...

Paella: Rice at Its Best - Fine Cooking Article

A bit about bomba rice, IF you can find it...
LaTienda.com - Bomba Paella Rice

Saffron costs more than gold. Makes for fine eating! You need to invite me to this sumptious meal. The real feast will be after dinner, though.

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If you can't get good bacon then substitute with diced speck.

For paella, we use arborio rice.

I heat some chicken stock or white wine in the microwave then I add the saffron threads to it.

You can also substitute saffron for turmeric which completely changes the flavour but it still makes the rice yellow.

I flavour the oil by gently sauteeing sliced dried Spanish chorizos, sliced flame-grilled red peppers and diced bacon first, remove, use the oil to brown chicken thigh fillets (do not cook all the way) which are then removed and replaced later. Then add chopped garlic, dried chilli flakes (a little goes a long way) and diced white onion.

Once the onion is soft, add the dry arborio rice to the oil, garlic and onions and stir through. When all the rice grains are coated with oil, add the saffron liquid and white wine + chicken stock in a 1:2 rice to liquid ratio. Paella rice should turn out soggy rather than dry - that's the way we like it, anyway.

Nearly forgot: I also use tinned tomatoes (drain away the juice first).

I also use a cleaned, fresh blue crab - the crab juices released add a lot of flavour to the stock.

Finally, I add mussels (stand them upside down so they open and release their liquor into the rice), prawns (heads and shells on), calamari rings, white fish fillets and halved baby octopus... and frozen green peas.

I finish the cooking by clapping the lid on my sautee pan so that the remaining liquid (white wine, chicken stock) steams the seafood. If you don't have a lid you can use aluminium foil or place the pan in a hot oven for a few miuntes.

Round off with chopped fresh coriander/cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice. If you feel daring, have some Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce on the side to really jazz up the dish.

When I make this dish, it's an interpretation which turns out with a very strong Thai/Nonya/Malaysian influence which I'm quite happy with. The flavours are stronger and more in-your-face.






^ Strictly speaking, the pan looks overcrowded in presentation terms because you can't see the rice which is layered on the bottom.

Before serving, you would place it all in a large serving dish and toss it like a salad so that all the ingredients are mixed together.

We went through a phase where we would go to the fish markets every Sunday and make paella for dinner that night. It's an awesome ritual and makes for great bonding/quality time.

Serve with chilled, dry white wine.




...

Cheeses:

Blue or White Castello, Camembert, Brie, aged cheddar, Gloucester, Leicester, Stilton ... the list is endless -- those are mostly fairly soft and/or smelly. For a plain sweet, nutty flavour go for Swiss (eg Emmenthaler).

You could also offer things like quince paste and sliced pears and apples, apricots and peaches to bring out the flavour of the cheeses... some fresh muscatel grapes too.

Two fairly decent online recipes:

Food Lovers' Guide to Australia - recipes , Paella

How to Make Perfect Paella

what is speck? lol

actually, my saffron is directly from iran...may not be the kind that is so expensive. i don't care. as long as it does its job, if not, there is a little bit of tumeric that can help.

i had some kind of brie last night that was heavenly. it was like cheese and butter. mmmmmmmmmm yum.