p a e l l a >> the simple way

A few months ago my friend Hayley convinced me to try HelloFresh. Have you heard of them? Basically, it's this super-convenient service that delivers all the ingredients you'd need for 3 meals, in perfect portions, with recipe cards included. I don't think cooking gets any easier than that! Hayley sent me a link to receive a three-meal box for only £19, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try! After the first box, though, it became a bit too expensive to make it a regular habit. But the service comes highly recommended! 

My favorite part of trying HelloFresh was that each meal they sent were recipes that I wouldn't have tried on my own. That week, I made [for the first time] lamb kaftas, pork risotto, and paella. 

Each meal was so tasty, but the paella truly stands out among the crowd. Since then, I've made paella at least once every other week, tweaking it each time. Traditional Spanish paella sometimes uses shrimp, muscles, or rabbit, but I've learned it DOES NOT use chorizo. This recipe I use is chicken-only, but it's so tasty, fresh, and is perfect to eat year-round.

[simple] paella

Total time: 50 minutes (includes veggie chopping)
Feeds: 4 really hungry adults

Cast of characters: 

- 2 cups basmati rice

- cherry tomatoes

- 2 red peppers

- 1 orange pepper

- 1 yellow pepper

- 1/2 onion, finely diced

- 3 cloves garlic

- 2 chicken stock pots

- 4-6 chicken thighs, depending on how "meaty" you want it

- salt

- pepper

- olive oil

- 1 lemon

- 5-ish cups boiling water

- 3 T chopped parsley (optional)

Method:

1. Chop it all up!

I love that this recipe is a one-dish meal, but it does require about 15 minutes of chopping (depending on how fast you are) before starting. Here's what you'll do:
- dice the chicken (raw)
- slice the peppers into thin slices
- dice the onion
- half the cherry tomatoes
- half the lemon, then quarter one half

2. Cook the chicken

Put some olive oil in a LARGE pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, throw in your diced chicken. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Cook until finished, then remove from pan and set aside.

3. WASH THE RICE & start the kettle

I cannot emphasise this step enough. You should always wash your rice... It's meant to be washed and tastes SO much better! While the chicken is cooking, give your rice a good 2 minute bath while the kettle starts with water.

4. Cook the veggies

In the same pan you used for chicken, add a bit more olive oil, then add your garlic and onions. Let them soften a bit (smell the heavenly aroma). Then add your peppers. Let them soften for about 3 minutes, then add your cherry tomatoes. Mix all this up and allow to cook/soften for 5 more minutes. You may want to stop here and just eat the veggies. YUM!!

5. Add the rice

Let the rice mix in with all the oil/juices and cook for about 3 minutes. This preps the rice and makes it oh-so-tasty. ** at this point, if you want, you can add your chopped parsley**

6. Pour in the water, plus add the stockpot

Once the rice has softened, add the water and the stockpot and mix really well. All of the stockpot needs to dissolve. Make sure the rice isn't sticking to the side of your pan, but is all in the broth.

7. Add chicken, lower heat to medium and let simmer for 10 minutes

Once it's simmered for 10 minutes, return to stove and give it another good mix. Make sure the rice on the outside of the pan gets pushed to the middle, so that it all cooks evenly.

8. Let simmer another 5 minutes

Repeat step 7.

9. Let simmer another 5-10 minutes 

Or, until the rice has soaked up the water. Your paella should stick a bit to the bottom of the pan when it's done.

10. Add the lemon and serve!

Remember that lemon we sliced? Add as much of the large half as you want, then mix your paella together. Serve hot with a small lemon wedge on the side. YUM!!

And, as the Spanish say, BUEN PROVECHO! :)

PS - I'm realizing that this is the third recipe I've ever posted, and I prepared it in our little Parisian flat. The last time I blogged a recipe was HERE in 2011 when I used Daniel's seminary apartment kitchen, and the time before that was HERE, when I cooked in a shared kitchen in Guatemala. Ha, maybe one day I'll show you that I really do cook in my own kitchen!

back-to-school stir fry

Last weekend of break was an amazing weekend! I went to New Orleans, and spent some quality time with my favorite boy in the www. :) We had so much fun!! One thing we did during our time together was COOK! We whipped up some yummy dishes. I wanted to share this one dish, because it's an easy back-to-school, all inclusive meal, for an affordable price. It's called back-to-school stir fry. We followed the recipe of the world renown chef, Mr. Beau Burton, which says to add:

- Carb of thy choice (pasta/rice)

- Meat of thy choice (chicken, shrimp, beef, etc.)

- Veggies of thy choice (all of the above)

Ours turned out YUMMY! So here's the step-by-step instructions for you to follow:

1. Get a cute boyfriend to be your chef. (This step isn't necessary, but it makes the cooking WAY more fun! :)

2. Cook your chicken.

3. Chop up your veggies. (We used onions, bell peppers, and steamed a box of teriyaki veggies.)

4. Add veggies to your wok, stirring.

5. Prepare enough rice (about the same amount you would prepare for gumbo).

6. Chop up your cooked chicken and add it to the veggies.

7. Add a sauce of your choice. (We used "Veri Veri Teriyaki," but you could also use soy sauce.)

8. Stir fry until cooked, and serve over the rice.

9. Coke is yummy on the side.

10. Have a happy tummy. :)

I like the chef more than the stir fry. ;)

Happy school month!!

a taste of Guatemala

So, there are many women in my life that I love and am inspired by... two of them just so happen to belong to the same family: Leslie Young and Jessica Young Handy! :) And what's more: they blog too!! I really love these women a lot. Anyways, recently they have both been posting new recipes on their blogs, and I've enjoyed watching and hopefully trying one day.. (especially the stuffed artichoke hearts!!!). Well, during my time in Guatemala, I have discovered un plato chapin (a Guatemalan dish) that is SOO yummy, and I was inspired, once again, by these two women to blog about it. So, I hope you try and enjoy. ¡¡que rico esso!!

::TOSTADAS::

Here's the ingredients you need:

- tostadas (I am not sure if you can find these in the states or not. If not, you can use regular tortilla chips and make mini-tostadas, also known as ganachas.)

- shredded mexican-style cheese (queso)

- your favorite brand of salsa

- a can of refried black beans (frijoles negros)

- a little bit of butter (mantequilla)

- a little bit of onion (cebolla)

- slices of avocado (aguacate)

- lime (limón)

Step 1: Chop up a little bit of the onion. (I made 2 tostadas to eat, and only used one slice of the onion, chopped up. But, if you really like onions, you may want more... just whatever you prefer!) --Also, please excuse my onion chopping skills... I am only working with a butter knife over here! hehe

Step 2: Put a small pot on the stove with a little butter inside.

Step 3: Add the onions. Regardless of whether or not they change the taste of the beans, they make your kitchen smell like you're cookin' up something REALLY good. :)

Step 3.5: Let onions simmer... adding more butter if you need to.

Step 4: While your onion is simmering, prepare your tostadas on the plates. This will be very important for when your beans are ready. (average serving size per person: 2 tostadas)

Step 5: Add the beans into the pot. If you don't want to use a whole can of beans, I recommend a hefty tablespoon-full per tostada. *yes, I know.. the beans look gross. But they taste FABULOUS!*

Step 6: Let the beans cook with the onions, stirring regularly. (it's ok if the start getting a little darker. Just make sure you keep moving them around so they don't burn).

Step 6.5: Make sure to keep your stove-top heat low... to prevent re-refried beans.

Step 7: When the beans are ready, they will be very smooth and much easier to stir with your spoon. (to test this, just put some on your finger and make sure they are hot!). When that's the case, spread those yummy beans on your tostada. *continue to disregard how gross the beans look.*

Step 7.5: Spread the beans evenly around the tostada.

Step 8: Quickly add shredded cheese. If you add it while the beans are warm, it melts and tastes mmmm so yummy. And you can't add too much cheese! (right, Mrs. Leslie?!)

Step 9: Add a little bit of your favorite salsa, and spread around evenly with a knife.

Step 10: Put slices of avocado on top of your tostada. (I was nearing the end of my avocado, but you can definitely make your slices look prettier than this!)

Step 11: Squirt a generous amount of lime on top.

Step 12: ENJOY! Eat it with your hands, and make sure to have napkins in reach. :)

This super-yummy meal takes about 20 minutes to prepare. I hope you enjoy a little taste of Guatemala.

¡Buen provecho!