World’s Most Important Grain
on Your Thanksgiving Table: Rice
Half the world's population supposedly subsists wholly
or partially on rice. Ninety percent of the world crop is grown and
consumed in Asia. American consumption, although increasing, is still only
about 25 lb (11 kg) per person annually, as compared with 200 to 400 lb (90–181
kg) per person in parts of Asia.
Rice is the only major cereal crop that is primarily consumed by humans directly as
harvested, and only wheat and corn are produced in comparable quantity. Why is
rice important?
Rice is a nutritious food and an important part of a
healthy diet. Rice contains more than 15 vitamins and minerals that help protect against disease and ensure healthy
growth during pregnancy and childhood. In fact, populations with high rice
consumption are associated with less overall disease rates and with better
health, and scientific studies show that people who eat rice have healthier
diets.
This Thanksgiving Day, one of the main
suggestions on our tables should be the millenarian grain to accompany our
traditional turkey. Even though, there are several excellent recipes, the one
in particular is called Paella, where rice and seafood will delight the most
refined palates.
Ingredients
Spice Mix for chicken, recipe follows
1 (3-pound) frying chicken, cut into 10 pieces
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Spanish chorizo sausages, thickly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Spanish onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, reserve some
for garnish
1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and
hand-crushed
4 cups short grain Spanish rice
6 cups water, warm
Generous pinch saffron threads
1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 lobster tails
1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed
Lemon wedges, for serving
Special equipment:
Large paella pan or wide shallow skillet
Spice Mix for chicken:
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Preparation
Special equipment:
Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate
chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Heat oil in a paella pan over
medium-high heat. Sauté the chorizo until browned. Remove, and reserve. Add
chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and
freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve.
In the same pan, make a sofrito sauce by sautéing the
onions, garlic, and parsley.
Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then, add
tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld.
Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for
10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs
the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp,
tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give
the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is
al dente, for about 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the
rice is filling the pan, add the lobster tails. When the paella is cooked and
the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can
smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it's perfect.
Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with
peas, parsley and lemon wedges.
Spice Mix for chicken:
Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the spice
mixture all over the chicken; marinate for 1 hour, covered.
Paella is a Valencian rice dish with ancient roots
that originated in the mid-nineteenth century near Albufera Lagoon, a coastal
lagoon in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain.
