Paella Mixta

PREPARATION:

• - Prepare your stock/broth. Set aside.
• - Toast your saffron strands to bring out its flavour in aroma by wrapping the saffron in foil and toasting it over direct heat for a few seconds.
• - Rinse and dry bell peppers, onions, French beans. Using a chopping board, chop your vegetables accordingly and set aside.
• - Finely chop garlic. Set aside.
• - Prepare meats and seafood.
• - Clean mussels by removing its beard and dirt on shells. In a small pot, boil water with salt along with the mussels. Remove when the shells open on its own. This would take no more than 5 minutes.
• - Clean squid, slice into rings and season with salt. Set aside.
• - Rinse chicken and pat dry. Cube the fillets of chicken breast and set aside along with the chicken drummettes/lollipop.
• - Rinse pork belly. Cut into cubes. You may remove the skin. Set aside with chicken.
• - Season generously and marinate the pork and chicken with salt, pimenton powder, garlic and some olive oil. Let it sit for at least 20 minutes.
• - Cut lemon into 8 wedges, finely chop parsley. Set aside in separate bowls for garnishing.
• PAELLA MIXTA
• - In a 26cm/10in paellera (paella pan), add an ample amount of olive oil and turn the heat up to medium high. Add the chicken lollipop and pork belly first as these two ingredients need more cooking time compared to the chicken breast. Cook for about 8 minutes, and add in the chicken breast. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes. These three ingredients need not to be fully cooked as it will be cooked along with the rice as well. Once finished, set aside in a bowl.
• - Using the same pan, add more oil and pimenton powder. Mix the oil and pimenton powder before turning the heat on to avoid burning. Doing so will burn the pimenton and make it rather bitter. Once ready, add your prawns and squid and sear for 2 minutes per side. Once finished, set aside.
• - Still using the same pan, add oil if necessary. Turn up the heat on to medium and add in the rice. Toast the rice until slightly browned. Add the vegetables and pimenton powder (1 tablespoon). Continue to saute until the vegetables are tender and translucent. Add the canned tomatoes, cook further and reduce the tomatoes. Once your sauteed mixture has thickened, lower the heat to medium-low.
• - Add the toasted saffron and stock until it covers 3/4 of the pan. See to it that everything is evenly spread out. Add the sprigs of rosemary. Stir a little and taste. It would be best to have a taste of it after mixing everything together because this is how the final product will taste. Add salt if necessary. Cover and cook for 30-35 minutes.
• - Keep close attention to this because you will need to check this occasionally and reposition the pan to evenly cook the rice every once in while. More or less 4 turns, a quarter each turn every 8 minutes. You may poke a spoon and check if the rice is sticking to the pan. If you see that rice is beginning to stick, this would be the perfect time to rotate your pan.
• - Towards the end, when you see that there is still a little liquid left, add position the prawns, mussels and squid on top. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.
• - When the liquid has evaporated and absorbed by the rice, do a taste test. The rice should absolutely not be raw or still grainy and not cooked through completely. Rice should be al dente, no less.
• - SOCARRAT: This is the best part of the Paella, but the trickiest to achieve because it's either you nail it or burn it. To get this done, turn the heat up to medium and leave for about a minute. Once you hear a sizzling sound, then this is a good sign.
• - Turn the heat off and remove from stove.
• - Finish off with lemon wedges, sauteed French beans and fresh parsley. Drizzle with olive oil and serve!