Saffron Paella
Recipe by: Dennis Hipolito
Ingredients: serve 12
6 tablespoons olive oil, for sautéing
1 head garlic, peeled and chopped, for rice
1 cup chopped onion, for rice
2 cups tomato concasse(blanched, peeled, and diced tomatoes)
½ teaspoon saffron
4 ½ cup rice (Dinorado, Calrose or Spanish rice)
7 to 9 cups chicken stock or broth
2 pandan leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil, for chicken
6 chicken drumsticks, halved
1 cup chopped ham
3 cloves garlic, chopped, for sauce
1 onion, chopped, for sauce
2 sliced bacon, chopped
2 fresh squids, cleaned and sliced
1 chorizo, chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
2 to 3 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons rock salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ kilo shrimp, shelled and deveined
3 t6o 4 pieces crabs, split
1 can pimientos, drained and sliced
Procedures:
In a large deep sided pan, heat 6 tablespoons oil and sauté garlic and onions until translucent. Lower heat and cook further until the onions are starting to lightly color. Blend in tomatoes and saffron. Continue cooking over low flame until tomatoes break down and the mixture looks like a compote.
Add rice and stir until coated well.
Add about seven cups chicken stock and the pandan leaves. Boil gently until rice is cooked, adding enough seasoning and stock to almost cook and flavor rice.
In a paellera, heat two tablespoons olive oil and brown drumsticks. Remove from pan and set aside.
In the same paellera, and ham, garlic, onion, and bacon. Cook through. Add squid, chorizo, tomato sauce paste, and remaining broth. Season with salt and pepper and sugar.
When mixture starts to boil, and shrimp, crabs, and the browned chicken. Simmer until sauce is greatly reduced. Add drumsticks and adjust seasoning.
When done, add cooked rice and determine desired consistency. Mix in pimiento. Add more stock if needed. Adjusting seasoning to taste
Cook in the paellera without stirring over low heat for about 30 minutes or bake in the oven covered with foil.