Sevilla-Style Paella

Sevilla-Style Paella excerpted from Cocina de Andalucia: Spanish recipes from the land of a thousand landscapes by María José Sevilla. Photography by Nassima Rothacker.

Cocina de Andalucia: Spanish recipes from the land of a thousand landscapes by María José Sevilla

Discover the cuisine from this fascinating region in Southern Spain through 75 authentic recipes.

Celebrating popular food and ingredients from the area, such as Iberico hams from Huelva, olive oils from Cordoba or Jaen, olives from Seville or sherry vinegar, sea salt and tiger prawns in Cadiz.

This selection of truly authentic recipes have been developed by Maria Jose Sevilla during time spent in her house in Aracena near Seville.

Prepare mouthwatering tapas such as Chorocitos in Oloroso Sherry, Fried Aubergines with Molasses and Gambas al Ajillo. Continue with Gazpacho Andaluz, Artichoke Flowers with Iberico Ham and Monkfish and Shellfish Salad, and Pinchitos Morunos, Oxtail or Sevilla-Style Paella. Finish with Soft Nougat Ice Cream, Classic Torrijas and Alfajores for those with a sweet tooth.

Each recipe is accompanied by short histories relating to the character of a chosen locality, a particular dish or equally important, the people that grow and prepare the food.

Andalucia is the largest region of Spain and has a food tradition that is rich in shades from the past, but now a fascinating revival is taking place, supported by the array of amazing ingredients from land and sea, by memories and aromas from the past and by current innovation by Spanish chefs. La Cocina Andalucia has become even more attractive, improved without losing any of its character and taste.

Cocina de Andalucia: Spanish recipes from the land of a thousand landscapes by María José Sevilla is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Indigo.ca.

Arroz ‘a la Sevillana’ en paella

In 1992 I was invited together with a group of food and wine writers to visit the universal exposition (EXPO) in Sevilla. We were offered a tasty Arroz a la Sevillana, cooked in front of us in a paella pan. This was not a classic Paella Valenciana and it did not feature any of the cooking and ingredient restrictions attached to the Valenciana. It included, among many other ingredients, chorizo, shellfish and fish. It was also quite delicious and very colourful. This is a seco (dry) rice dish in style (see page 44).

75 g/23⁄4 oz. cooking chorizo, sliced

500 g/1 lb. 2 oz. clams, washed under cold running water

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled

250 g/9 oz. squid, cleaned and chopped

250 g/9 oz. monkfish, deboned and cut into pieces

150 g/5½ oz. jamón serrano (serrano ham), chopped

250 g/1-2⁄3 cups fresh peas

500 g/2-2⁄3 cups Andalucían ‘round rice’

a few Spanish saffron filaments

1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

Spanish olive oil, for frying sea salt

TO SERVE

2 hard-boiled/cooked eggs, cooled, peeled and quartered

lemon wedges, for squeezing

2 roasted red (bell) peppers, cut into strips (see page 142), or from a jar

SERVES 6

First sauté the chorizo in a small frying pan/skillet with little olive oil for just a few minutes until the oil has been released and the chorizo is starting to crisp. Set aside.

Place the clams in a saucepan with a little water. Heat and let the clams open. Discard any that have remained closed or have their shells broken. Drain, reserving the clam stock and keeping it warm. Reserve the clams.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large shallow saucepan or paella pan. Sauté the onion until golden. Add 1 of the garlic cloves and stir. Add the squid and monkfish and stir well before adding the ham and the peas. Stir again and pour in 1.5 litres/6 cups water. Bring to the boil, then cook until the squid and the rest of the fish are almost tender. Sprinkle the rice around the pan and stir gently for the last time. Add the warm clam stock. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Using a pestle and mortar, pound the second garlic clove, a few saffron filaments and the chopped parsley to a paste, then add this to the rice and leave to cook, uncovered, for about 18 minutes. Do not stir during this time and do not overcook the rice.

Scatter the chorizo and the clams around the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes to heat through.

When ready to serve, let it rest for a couple of minutes before serving with a few drops of lemon juice, decorate with the eggs and strips of roasted red (bell) pepper.

Recipe reprinted with permission from Ryland Peters & Small.