Easy "paella"

I thought it was time to break up the sugar rush with a little savory interlude today.  I still find it hard to photograph and blog about savory food; I think, mostly, I'm too impatient for everybody to dig into the hot food and eat!  Since I usually cook family dinners, there's also the deterrent in the form of no natural lighting.  But enough complaining, let's talk about a nice one-skillet dinner.

An easy "paella": rice, kielbasa sausage, shrimp, and peas cooked with tomatoes, broth and spices

To me, this is a little pan of comfort food, hearty but really not too heavy.  Along with some vegetables (roasted brussels sprouts in my case), it was a welcomed meal on a chilly spring day.  It's an easy "paella", and I leave the paella in quotation marks and call it that loosely because this is a shortcut, everyday at-home kind of version that can be placed on the dinner table in under an hour.  

I'll tell you right off the bat, there's no saffron in this "paella".  That might be heresy to some if we're talking the real thing; you can easily add it if you want but I prefer to save my precious saffron for absolute necessity.  The great thing is you can take this base and keep it simple, or take it to a more authentic place if you like.  In this particular pan, I went with convenience and speed.  I used turkey kielbasa and shrimp.  You could start with some chicken or go with another type of sausage, even track down some chorizo if you're inclined.  Next time, I'd love to work in some mixed seafood.  

It was easy enough to toss all this together in one pan for a recent dinner.  For me, a big dish of flavorful rice like this - no matter what you call it - is sheer comfort food.  

I grew up eating a lot of white rice in our Chinese household so it has a special place in my heart. While I don't eat as much of it these days and try to lean more towards whole grains (which I've come to love), it's hard to beat a pan of warm white rice with lots of flavor!  

On the subject of rice - I wasn't sure what type of rice is normally used in a traditional paella since I've seen recipes calling for different kinds.  I've now learned that bomba rice, a medium-grain absorbent rice, is the ultimate for paella.  This particular recipe actually uses plain long-grain white rice and I have to say I really liked the texture.

Real life: Dinner gets placed on the table (the kitchen is a mess) and we're ready to dig in

One of the best things I like about this recipe is the rice stands on its own and the whole thing isn't too soupy or thick.  I'm not after a creamy risotto here and I certainly don't want mush.  This cooked up with nice individual grains of rice, moist but not wet.  The paprika and turmeric does a great job of adding color and flavor along with some diced tomatoes and chicken broth to seal the whole deal.  

I love one pot/pan meals, all the better when you can take the dish directly from the stove-top to your dinner table, lift open the lid, and share it family-style!  Just pass me your plate...


Recipe:

Easy "Paella"
Adapted from Martha Stewart (a recipe from the Dec. 2003 issue of Everyday Food, a magazine I miss dearly)

- Serves 4 - 

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound medium-size shrimp, cleaned and deveined
7 ounces (half a package) turkey kielbasa, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cups long-grain rice, rinsed and drained
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Half a can (7 1/4 ounces) diced tomatoes 
1 can (14.5 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
Coarse salt and pepper, for seasoning
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed

In a 10-inch skillet or shallow saute pan, heat half a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-heat.  Add kielbasa and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side to warm through.  Transfer to a plate.  Add remaining half tablespoon of olive oil and cook the shrimp for 4-5 minutes until they are just pink and cooked through.  Add shrimp to the plate with the kielbasa.

Add onion to the pan, cooking and stirring for about 2-3 minutes until translucent.  Stir in garlic, followed by the rice.  Toast the rice for 1-2 minutes.  Add paprika, turmeric, cayenne, tomatoes, and broth.  Stir well, scraping up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan.  Season with salt and pepper.

Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover until rice is cooked and almost all the liquid has been absorbed, approximately 20 minutes or so.  Stir in the peas for about a minute.  Add cooked kielbasa and shrimp back into the pan and stir together to combine.  Taste, and adjust seasoning, if necessary.  Serve immediately.