Food52
Paella is wonderful because it takes advantage of the "everything but the kitchen sink" mentality. It can be made with simple local ingredients or the fruits of foreign lands. I most prefer a delicate tango of both, with a heavy emphasis on quality. If you can't get fresh seafood in your area, go for an assortment of meats, and frozen shrimp can be found in most mega-marts. This particular recipe comes from my dad, but he insists on using lobster and I disprove of some of his techniques. The shrimp stock addition came from my sister and it is an absolute must! This recipe is great for large dinner parties and, though rather traditional, is surprisingly killer and by far the best paella I've ever had. We always make it on the grill, which lends more smokiness than the conventional oven method. Cooking the rice in oil first before adding any liquid enhances the nutty characteristics of the grain and the Spanish paprika (though expensive and sometimes difficult to find) really makes the dish. While chorizo may be more traditional, I can never find a Spanish one here in South Texas and the Mexican version doesn't cut it for me. The sublimely cooked rice is achieved through the process of cooking in a heavy pan, not stirring too often, and adding a bit of broth at the end and letting it rest. I usually use two 12 inch cast iron pans, but my dad recently received a giant paella pan for his birthday. I still prefer my cast irons, but he swears by his new prized pig of the kitchen--the pan takes up its own shelf!