Something from the Land, something from the Sea

by Marj Watkins

In Spain, as in Okinawa, they told us a well balanced meal features something from the land and something from the sea. Every lunch or dinner we ate in Spain gave us a bit of fish as well as a piece of meat, along with rice and a vegetable.

In Valencia, in southern Spain we found Seville, the lovely old town from which Christopher Columbus  and his three little ships are said to have departed to sail the Atlantic and discover America. In Seville we discovered Paella. It promptly became a favorite dish.

Paella combines rice, chicken, peas and seafoods—something from the land plus something from the sea—joined to make a one-dish meal cooked and served in a wide pan with two handles. It can be as complicated or as simple as you want to make it. And there’s only one kettle to wash. You can cook it in a wide, deep skillet. All you need to complete the meal is a fresh vegetable salad drizzled with olive oil and vinegar, and a bowl of olives.

To make it less expensively, if you live near the sea, you can use mussels harvested from harbor pilings and clams dug from permitted beaches. Soak clams and mussels in a basin of water sprinkled with oatmeal to encourage them to spit out sand.

PAELLA VALENCIANA

          4 servings

4 chicken drumsticks,

     or 1 cup cooked meat cut in large dice

¼ cup olive oil.

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 bell  pepper, cored, seeded, and cut in strips

½ teaspoon dillweed

½ teaspoon tarragon

4 to 8 mussels, scrubbed and beard removed

¼ pound large, cooked shrimp or 4 cooked, shelled prawns

2 teaspoons paprika

3 cups chicken stock or water

1 1/2 cups short grain rice

¼ teaspoon saffron powder or turmeric

½ to ¾ cup frozen peas

Garnish: Lemon wedges, optional

If using raw chicken pieces, sprinkle them with salt. Heat the oil in your largest skillet. Add the chicken pieces. Brown them. Add the onion and garlic, and bell pepper. Stir-fry until onions are soft. Sprinkle with paprika.

Add the rice, spreading it evenly. Stir-cook until rice is golden brown. (If in a hurry, just stir rice in and proceed.) Add the water or chicken stock. Bring to a low boil, Reduce heat. Cook covered until rice is almost done, about 40 minutes for brown rice.

Meanwhile, cook the mussels and clams in a little boiling water until they open (about 5 minutes). Discard any that don’t open. Reserve those that do open.

When the rice mixture is cooked, arrange the mussels, clams, shrimp or prawns, and the frozen peas, on top of the paella. Reduce the heat. Cover and cook, but don’t stir, for about 10 minutes

Let stand about 5 minutes before serving. Serve this beautiful dish from the skillet. Garnish it with lemon wedges if you wish.

Enjoy, con mucho gusto!