One of the best parts of traveling is trying new foods. With so many food and travel blogs popping up on the internet, I know I’m not alone in this foodie obsession. We are a food-crazy nation and a blog that combines food and travel is a winner in my eyes!
There’s nothing like discovering a new cuisine while traveling and then recreating it when you get home.
One of my favorite meals is Spanish paella, and it’s surprisingly easy to make at home.
Paella brings back memories of lazy beachside lunches cooking paella over coals in a giant pot. When a man stands there all day stirring a huge pot, a pleasant aroma wafts over the beach and makes everyone get up from their sun loungers for a taste. Family holidays were always filled with paella. This was one of the first dishes my mother taught me to cook when I was a child.
Paella is surprisingly easy to prepare, but it really takes on the wow factor when you make it in a giant pot. Served with homemade sangria and juicy lemon slices, it’s perfect for a dinner party or to impress your friends.
Super easy paella recipe
Most people choose one of the following:
- chorizo and chicken
- seafood
My family may be greedy, but we want both!
To be honest, I never weigh or measure things, I just throw in as much or as little as I can with what I have. This recipe is perfect for cleaning out your fridge. Make sure the quantities of vegetables are about the same and cook them in order for crunchiness.
To make this super easy, just prep your veggies in advance, hold a glass of sangria in one hand, a large spoon in the other, and keep adding ingredients to the pot.
paella ingredients
Fish and meat
- Cut the chicken breast into small dice
- chorizo
- Seafood – It’s easiest to use a mixed bag of frozen seafood
- big shrimp
Veggies & rice
- Onions (red or white)
- pepper
- frozen peas or snap peas
- green beans
- baby corn
- celery
- Paella rice 1/4 cup per serving
Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- chicken stock and 1 teaspoon paprika
- White wine
- lemon wedge
Instructions
- Use the largest pot you have
- Fry onions and garlic until onions are soft
- Add the chorizo and cook for a few minutes
- add chicken
- Once the chicken is almost cooked, add the crunchy vegetables
- Every 3 to 5 minutes, add the vegetables in the order of crunchiness so that they are all cooked to the same extent
- Add shrimp and seafood mix
- Once the seafood is cooked, add the rice and about half of the chicken stock
- Warning: At this point, you’ll probably be running out of rice. Don’t be tempted to add more. We have enough!
- Add more chicken stock as it absorbs until the rice is almost cooked
- Slowly add about 1-2 tablespoons of white wine to keep it moist until the paella is cooked
This post was part of Expedia’s World on a Plate challenge. They challenge bloggers to cook up a storm in the kitchen and create meals inspired by their favorite destinations. Check out the #worldonaplatechallenge hashtag to see what other bloggers are up to.