THE BASQUE MARKET RECIPES

Mixed Paella

2 T olive oil
1/2 onion diced
2-3 cloves garlic minced or chopped
1/2 green pepper diced
1/4 cup diced pimientos
1/2 cup frozen green peas & carrots
1/2 lb. chicken meat cut into 2”x2” chunks
2 chorizos sliced
1/2 cup diced jamon serrano or prosciutto (optional)
18-20 large shrimp peeled & deveined
18-20 clams in their shells and fresh
12-14 mussels cleaned
If they are female mussels, debeard them as well so they’ll feel better about themselves.
2 cups rice (short or med grain is best)
6 cups chicken broth simmering
12 strands saffron
Heat up broth with saffron on back burner to a low simmer.
In a paellera (paella pan) for 8 people (34 cm) add oil and sauté garlic and onion on med heat until onion is translucent (about 10 min). Add chicken and chorizo and cook through. Add the jamon, and toss with the oil. Add the green peppers. Cook until just beginning to soften. Add the rice and coat well with olive oil. Add about 2/3 of the broth (keep the remaining broth simmering), the carrots and peas and the diced pimientos and mix all ingredients so that the everything is well distributed throughout the pan. You won’t be stirring at all from here on out, so this part is important. Begin placing the clams, mussels and shrimp around the pan. The clams and mussels should not be submerged, but only the hinged part placed into the mixture so they’ll open on top of the paella. The shrimp should be placed into the mixture with the tails sticking out. As rice comes to a simmer, reduce heat to med low. Allow to simmer another 20 minutes. You may need to add a little more of the broth at this time. You’ll probably use all but about 1/2 cup of the broth. Continue cooking until rice is done. Remove from heat and let paella rest for 10 minutes. Serves 8-10 people.
When adjusting for more or less servings, you can usually figure about 4 people to each cup of raw rice, and nearly 3 times the amount of broth as rice. If you cover your paella and place it in the oven to cook, you will need to reduce the amount of broth to 2 times the amount of rice. When a paella is cooked completely on the stove top, you lose a fair amount of liquid in the broth to evaporation, which increases the intensity of the broth and thus the pealla.
(You can add a paella seasoning to water in place of broth and saffron if desired.)

Pears in Wine Sauce

Prepare one day in advance.
2 cups water 4 pears, peeled but not cored
1/2 cup sugar 2 lemon wedges
3/4 cup red wine 2 cinnamon sticks
In a saucepan, mix the sugar and water well. Bring it to a boil and add the lemon, cinnamon and pears. Cover and simmer for 10 minute. Add the wine and simmer another 5-8 minutes or until the pears are tender. Remove the pears and reduce the sauce until it is a little thickened and syrup-like. Return the pears to the sauce and allow to sit overnight at room temperature. To serve core the pears, cut them into slices and arrange on a dessert plate. Garnish with a lemon wedge and spoon over some syrup.
Serves 4

Seafood Paella

2 T olive oil
1/2 onion diced
2-3 cloves garlic minced or chopped
1/2 green pepper diced
1/4 cup diced pimientos
1/2 cup frozen green peas & carrots
18-22 large shrimp peeled & deveined
1/2 lb scallops
3/4—1 lb cod filet cut into 1” pieces
1 lb clams or cockles
1/2 lb mussels (optional)
2 cups medium grain rice
6 cups chicken or fish broth simmering
12 strands saffron
When peeling shrimp you may save the shells to add to your chicken broth for an additional seafood flavor. You can also make your own fish broth using the shrimp shells, and any fish carcass you may have leaving the chicken broth out entirely. Heat up broth with saffron on back burner to a low simmer.
In a paellera (paella pan) for 8 people (34 cm) add oil and sauté garlic and onion on medium heat until onion is translucent (about 10 min). Add cod and lightly sear on two sides. Remove cod and set aside. Add the green peppers and cook until they just begin to soften. Add the rice and coat well with olive oil. Add about 2/3 of the broth (make sure to keep the rest of the broth simmering), the diced pimientos and the carrots and peas and mix well. Begin placing the clams, mussels, shrimp and scallops around the paella. The clams and mussels should be placed with the hinged side down a little into the mixture. The shrimp should be place well into the mixture with the tails above the broth. The scallops can be placed into the mixture. Reduce heat to medium low but make sure to keep the paella at a simmer. Allow to simmer another 20 minutes. You may need to add all but 1/2 cup of the remaining broth. Continue cooking until rice is done. Remove from heat and let paella rest for 10 minutes. Serves 8-10 people.
When adjusting for more or less servings, you can usually figure about 4 people to each cup of raw rice, and nearly 3 times the amount of broth as rice. If you cover your paella and place it in the oven to cook, you can reduce the amount of broth to 2 times the amount of rice. When a paella is cooked completely on the stove top, you lose a fair amount of liquid in the broth to evaporation, which increases the intensity of the broth and thus the paella.
(You can add a paella seasoning to water in place of broth and saffron if desired.)