Although our cooler weather might not tip you off…SUMMER IS HERE! Not only are the kids out of school, but July 4th is only a few weeks away.
To celebrate the season, why not try something new and cook up some paella…on a PITCHFORK! Traditionally, paella is cooked in a very wide, flat pan. This method applies a little creativity and results in something just as delicious and perhaps a little more fun.
The ingredients for paella vary widely, but rice is mandatory and seafood is prevalent in nearly every recipe. Shrimp, crab legs, snails, firm fish, squid, and even lobster can be used. Add sausage (spicy chorizo is delish!), some chicken or Cornish game hens, mussels, clams, small cobs of corn, onion…really ANYTHING that sounds good to you can work because this special meal doesn’t need a recipe.
Remember those turkey deep fryers that were all the fad a few years back? They are NOT just for Thanksgiving anymore! Dig yours out of the back of the garage, clean it well, fill it with seasoned broth, and heat it to a boil. Grab (and clean) your pitchfork, and load the tines with your fixin’s. Plunge the pitchfork into the hot liquid and VIOLA! — fun, unique and delicious in one simple step! You could also boil some mussels and clams in the same pot for good measure. And, if you truly are going for “traditional”, save the clam shells to use as a spoon!
Taking a page out of a crawfish boil and cover your tables with plastic and butcher paper, dump vast quantities of cooked rice in the center (yellow Spanish rice is traditional, but brown or white will work fine) and put your cooked meat and veggies on top. Place different hot sauces around the table and set each place with a large spoon and fork. And although there are few rules when cooking paella, eating paella is another story:
- If there is something in your section of paella you don’t want to eat, place it in the center of the paella so someone else can enjoy it.
- Never eat from someone else’s section. Just because you like shrimp doesn’t mean you can have ALL of it!
- Do not eat away the “walls” of rice that are left between each person’s section unless everyone else is finished eating. When everyone else has put down their forks, what’s remaining on the table is free game!
Nope, you don’t even need plates, just eat off the butcher paper! It makes clean up a breeze — simply fold up the table cover and toss it in the trash.
Don’t forget to put a few empty bowls around the table for shells, cobs, bones, etc…and remember to put BYOP (Bring Your Own Pitchfork) on the invitation. ¡Buen provecho!
If you’re more of a traditional paella person, here are few recipes:
