Low-Cal, Must-Eat Paella: Y Gotta Try This!

This is just one of them.

Paella is pronounced "pa-e-ya" with the e as in "bet." It rose from humble origins to a classic dish of international stature. Here's the funny thing. The word "paella" actually refers to the pan used not so much to the dish itself. No worries. When I say "paella" you know what I mean. 

I mean a dish of meats and seafood piled on simmered rice.

Paella was poor-man's food. Farm laborers would toss whatever was at hand onto their simmering rice. No doubt, fishermen added a bit of their catch to their rice. Paella was never the same dish twice.

This will not be so much a recipe as a system to design your own paella. We'll start with the rice part. Then I'll give you portions for whatever you want to toss in. That's my way of sticking to its original roots, with one exception. 

A classic paella often has burned-on bits stuck to the pan bottom. They are considered a delicacy and even have a name (which escapes me). I don't care for them. This method avoids the crusty burned on bits.

If you don't mind this culinary blasphemy, read on. Be warned, there will be another piece of culinary blasphemy a little later.

NOTE: I'll start by giving you the "toss-in" mixture I like to use. Then I'll give a list of portions for stuff to toss in as if it was the only thing being tossed in! If you want to use 2 of those things, use half of each, etc. 

Makes 6 portions of 350g for <395 Calories

Ingredients Rice Base

185g Rice, (~1 cup, 240ml) tradition calls for bomba or calasparra but arborio risotto works as well. Use what you got.
160g Red Onion, sliced  (~1 cup, 240ml)
9g Garlic (~3 cloves)
2g Thyme dried (~1.5 tsp, 7.5 ml)
1g Smoked Paprika (~1/2 tsp, 2.5ml)
32g Tomato paste (~ 2 Tbs, 30ml)
Cooking Spray
500g Chicken stock/broth (~2.25 Cups, 500ml)

Sacrilegious Method for Rice Base 

This is also known as my camping method. It's nearly impossible to simmer at low flame outdoors on a camping stove. I devised this shortcut.
1 - Spray a heavy bottom pot that has a lid with cooking spray. If Calories are not an issue, use 2 Tbs, 30ml, of oil.
2 - When hot, add onions and garlic. Stir 2 minutes or so until the onions start to soften.
3 - Add rice. Continue stirring
4 - Push everything to one side of the pot and add tomato paste to the other. Cook paste for a minute or two.
5 - Stir everything together. Add Thyme, Paprika, and stock/broth.
6 - While bringing it to a boil, scrape away any sticky bits on the bottom of the pan.
7 - Boil at full boil for 5 minutes

8 - Remove from heat, add stuff, cover and let sit for 15 minutes

Stuff

70g Mushrooms, quartered (~1 cup, 240ml) 
150g Bell pepper mixed colors. (~1 cup, 240ml)
100g Flat peas in pod, chopped (~3/4 cup)
60g Flat leaf parsley (~1 cup, 240ml)
60g Zucchini thick sliced  (~1 cup, 240ml)
+ Your other stuff

My Other Stuff

454g (1 pound ~18) Shrimp,par-cooked, shelled
375g (~3/4 lb) Clams in the shell, raw
Several good shots of Frank's Red Hot or Tobasco sauce
227g Turkey-based Hot Italian sausage, chunked, par-cooked
240g (~1/2 lb) Blue Mussels in the shell, raw, or steamed and added at service
300g Sea Scallops pan-seared added at service
275g Chicken breast, (~ 1) roasted and cut in chunks, added at service
Garnish with lemon wedges and serve

Other possible stuff

Remember two things here. We depart from the traditional method of cooking everything together. That means food safety can become an issue. Things that won't cook through in the 15 minutes of residual heat must be cooked separately and added just prior to service. You'll need to use your judgment here.

If in doubt, play it safe. Cook and add at service. Just don't tell anyone and they'll never know.

The other thing to remember is that I am listing alternative things as if they were the only things going in. If you want to stay low-cal, break them up. If you want to add two things, use half of each. For four things, use a quarter of each. Don't add them to "My stuff." Replace "My stuff" with your stuff.

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