Remember those mussels? I only ate half the bag the other day, leaving the other half for another project. So, the next night, in keeping with the Spain theme, I thought I’d try my hand at a paella. When I went through a vegetarian phase in graduate school, I used to make a pseudo-paella using tofu, roasted red peppers, and peas, but this was the first time I tried to make an honest-to-goodness paella complete with shellfish. It turned out pretty well, actually—and so photogenic! This one’s also adapted from 1080 Recipes, my new favorite.
This looks more complicated than it is. You make the mussels, then you use the liquid as a basis for a stock. Then you fry up the onions, garlic, etc., and start cooking the rice. Add the remaining yummy bits (chorizo, artichokes, peas) after a few minutes and cook until it’s done. Then casually distribute the mussels across the top. You’ll want to eat all the mussels before you store the leftovers—they don’t keep well.
And so concludes the saga of the Spanish bivalves. Next week we’ll be back to our regular schedule of canning, preserving, and eating out of the freezer.
Paella with Mussels, Chorizo, and Artichokes
1 lb. mussels, cleaned
2 T olive oil
2 c. long-grain white rice
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar homemade canned tomatoes, chopped
1 small bag frozen artichoke hearts
8 oz. chorizo
1 c. frozen peas
Salt and pepper
1) Put the mussels in a large skillet with about 1/2 c. of water. Cover. Turn the heat up and shake the pan a few times until the mussels open, about 3 to 5 minutes. Throw away any mussels that don’t open. Set the mussels aside and pour the liquid through a strainer into a measuring cup. Add enough water to make 4 cups. Now you have stock!
2) Heat up the olive oil in an even bigger skillet that also has a lid. Sauté the onions with some salt for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and some more salt and cook another 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until it’s thoroughly coated. Now add the stock, cover, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook 5 minutes.
3) Take the lid off. Scatter the artichokes, peas, and chorizo across the top and put the lid back on. Cook for another 20 minutes.
4) Turn off the heat and place a towel in between the skillet and the lid to absorb extra water. Let it sit about 5 minutes, then remove the lid and add the mussels.
Eat!
