Order "PAELLA! : Spectacular Rice Dishes from Spain" today!

PAELLA! - Spectacular Rice Dishes from Spain
by Penelope Casas

Paella is one of the best known and most beloved dishes in the world, yet even the best chefs and cook book authors have little understanding of how extraordinary authentic paella can be. Penelope Casas, acclaimed cook book author and authority of Spanish food, sets out to restore the glorious paella to its rightful place as a grain-based meal that will gratify the senses as well as be the centerpiece for easy, elegant dinner parties.

This book is the most recent in Casas' career which spans 30 years of her passion with Spanish foods. PAELLA! contains recipes for more than sixty different vibrant paellas that combine the robust flavors of Spain such as olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and peppers with short-grain rice, broth and meat, fish or vegetables. PAELLA! also includes tapas and first courses along with delicious desserts that are truly easy to prepare.

There are the traditional paella recipes to be found such as Mixed Seafood Paella and some paella recipes are new combinations adapted from other Spanish dishes such as Cumin-Scented Pork and Watercress Paella (see recipe below as a free treat).

So take a journey to Spain this weekend....but you don't have to leave your home to enjoy one of Spain's most memorable dishes. Pick up a copy of PAELLA! or order it direction from the link at the top of this page. I guarantee you'll love it!

Cumin-Scented Pork and Watercress Paella (page 94)

Serves 4

The union of watercress and cumin in this splendid paella makes it hard to resist. I find myself still eating it long after my hunger has been sated. It is inspired by a hearty soup of Spain's Canary Islands, a region where watercress is a common ingredients in soups, stews, and salads, although it is rarely used on the Spanish mainland. An added bonus of this paella is that it is very easy to prepare.

3 cups chicken broth, canned or homemade (page 207)
1/8 teaspoon crumbled thread saffron
¾ pound boneless pork loin, cut in ½-inch cubes
Kosher or sea salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup finely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 bunch (about ½ pound) watercress, thick stems trimmed and chopped (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoon minced parsley
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon sweet paprika, preferably Spanish smoked
1 ½ cups imported Spanish or Arborio short-grain rice
½ cup cooked white beans, drained and rinsed
¼ to ½ pound small cooked red potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters or eights

Combine the broth and saffron in a pot and keep hot over the lowest heat. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F for a gas oven and 450 degrees F. for electric. Sprinkle the pork cubes all over with salt. Heat the oil in a paella pan measuring 13" at its widest point (or in a shallow casserole of a similar size). Sauté the pork over high heat for 1 - 2 minutes (it should not be fully cooked) and remove to a warm platter. Add the onion, garlic, and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables are slightly softened. Add the watercress and parsley, cook 12 minute to wilt the watercress, then mix in the cumin and paprika. Stir in the rice and coat well with the pan mixture. Pour in all the hot broth and bring to a boil.

Stir in the beans and pork, taste for salt, and continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until the rice is no longer soupy but sufficient liquid remains to continue cooking the rice, about 5 minutes. Mix in the cooked potatoes and transfer to the oven. Cook, uncovered, until the rice is almost al dente, 10 - 12 minutes in a gas oven; 15 - 20 minutes electric. Remove to a warm spot, cover with foil and let sit 5 - 10 minutes, until the rice is cooked to taste.