Here’s an authentic recipe from one of our clients in Ojai, California, a place known to produce some of the world’s finest fruits and vegetables.  Being only 30 minutes from the ocean, it’s a perfect Paella storm!  Fernando’s recipe reminds me of one of the main ingredients in all of my grandfather’s recipes, several glasses of booze for the chef while cooking!

Hi Jonathan, this is Fernando, you just dropped of the paella pan at my home in Ojai.

I am going to give you my paella recipe however without seeing the actual pan, I’m going to take a guess on the amount of rice (use Uncle Bens conventional rice), 3 cups.

First heat the pan

Add ½ cup virgin olive oil

Add 1 onion chopped, and fry for about 5 minutes

Add 1 chopped tomato, let it fry without adding anything else for a couple of minutes

Add 3 garlic cloves finely chopped

Add 20 bite size pieces  or more of chicken (about 2 half breasts), let that fry for about 5 minutes, then turn

Add a pinch of saffron and pimenton (sweet paprika)

Have a glass of red wine J

Add 3 carrots (cut into round 1/8” thick) and cook for 3 minutes

Add 20 pcs of bite size pork chops (no bone)

Add a pinch of garlic salt to all ingredients

Add chopped red and green bell peppers one each (stir with rest and cook without adding anything else for 3 minutes)

Add half basket of sliced mushrooms

Add one chorizo sausage (Spanish) cut in ½” slices

Add 20 pcs of calamari (body cut in 2 or 3 sections)

Add koarse salt(one pinch) to all ingredients

Add 3 cups rice and spread evenly and stir with all ingredients

Have another glass of wine J

Add water or preferably chicken broth (6 cups, add 2 of the paellero envelopes Martha gave you to the broth before adding to paella pan)

Taste once broth is hot for taste, add salt if required

Add half a bag of the frozen peas (found at any supermarket)

Once broth is boiling, it will take around 20 minutes, so 10 minutes into this, you can add:

Clams (10 – 20 )

Shrimp, as many as you like

Any other seafood

Once broth is almost consumed, taste rice to see if it is done, and if so, turn heat off

Cover entire paella with aluminum foil and let stand for 15 minutes, then ready to serve

Have another glass of wine J

Enjoy

Fernando

Thanks, if you want so that they know  where to purchase the paellero mix that Martha gave you, its called “Carmencita paellero mix” and they sell it at www.donajuana.com, in fact you can purchase the chorizo and saffron there as well.

Regards

Fernando