Spanish Noodle Paella Recipes

NOODLE PAELLA

Steps:

• Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a 6-quart Dutch oven. Add the sausages and stir, breaking up the sausages into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken and sausage to a medium bowl, using a slotted spoon.
• Add the garlic, fennel, onion, bell pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to the pan. Cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add the clam juice, tomatoes with juices, paprika, saffron, cayenne and bay leaves. Add the spaghetti and cook, uncovered, until almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Return the chicken and sausage to the pan. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add the halibut, clams and shrimp. Cover and cook until the clams open, 4 to 5 minutes. Discard any unopened clams. Remove the cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until fish, shrimp and chicken are just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in the parsley and serve.

CATALAN FIDEUà

Steps:

• Make the broth: Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add small shrimp, garlic, hot pepper, fennel, coriander, bay leaf and thyme. Season generously with salt and pepper, stir to coat and cook 2 minutes more.
• Stir in tomato paste and cook 5 minutes, until mixture begins to look dry. Add fish bones, clams, 1 pound mussels and 8 cups water; cover and bring to a boil. Uncover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
• Strain through a sturdy mesh sieve into another pot, pushing on solids with a wooden spoon. Discard solids and keep strained broth hot. Taste for salt. Broth should be well seasoned. (Can be made ahead, though eat it within 24 hours, or you can freeze it.)
• Make the fideuà: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Put fideus noodles in a large roasting pan or baking sheet. (If using Italian pasta, break it into 2-inch lengths first.) Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil over noodles and toss with hands to coat. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, turning with tongs if necessary, until noodles are golden brown. (May be done in advance.)
• Place a cazuela or wide heavy pot on the stove. Add toasted noodles, pressing down a bit. Ladle 3 cups hot broth over noodles and bring to a boil. Push down on the noodles with a wooden spoon as they soften into the broth. Add saffron-infused water and cook for a minute, then stir to mix. Add enough hot broth to cover pasta by 1 inch. Lower heat and cook at a simmer for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more broth (and adjust heat) if mixture dries out.
• Scatter remaining 1 pound mussels over the top, then push them down until barely submerged. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until shells open. Turn off heat. The noodles should be cooked but firm, and the mixture a little soupy.
• If using the large shell-on shrimp, season them and sauté in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes per side.
• Ladle into individual soup plates. Mix the parsley with the orange zest. Garnish fideus with shrimp, if using, the parsley mixture and a spoonful of allioli.

SPANISH NOODLE PAELLA

Steps:

• Place 1 tablespoon water in cup; mix in saffron. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, 3 tablespoons parsley, and garlic. Sauté until onion is lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Mix in tomatoes. Simmer until almost all tomato juices have evaporated, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, paprika, and saffron mixture. (Sauce base can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Bring clam juice to boil in large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add lobster. Cover; boil until lobster is red, about 4 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Using tongs, transfer lobster to rimmed baking sheet; reserve lobster broth in pot. Cool lobster 15 minutes. Twist tail off body. Cut tail in half lengthwise; remove meat. Twist off claws. Split claw shells with cleaver and remove meat. Cut meat into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces. Strain juices from sheet into 4-cup measuring cup. Strain in broth from pot. If necessary, add enough water to measure 3 cups broth mixture.
• Heat sauce base in paella pan or very large skillet over medium heat. Add noodle pieces; stir 1 minute. Add 3 cups broth mixture; bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer until noodles are almost tender, about 12 minutes. Mix in mussels and 1 cup water. Cover and cook until mussels open, about 5 minutes; discard any that do not open. Mix in shrimp, scallops, and lobster. Cover; simmer until seafood is just cooked through, adding water by 1/4 cupfuls if paella is dry, about 6 minutes. Uncover; simmer until noodles are tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley.

FIDEUA (SPANISH NOODLE PAELLA)

Steps:

• Holding few strands at a time, break pasta into 1-inch pcs and set aside. Heat oil in paella pan or possibly large skillet. Add in onion and garlic and cook over medium heat till soft and translucent/soft but not brown, about 4 min. Add in tomatoes and paprika and cook till all liquid has evaporated, about 5 min. Stir in clams, shrimp. scallops and monkfish and saute/fry 1 minute. Add in 2-1/2 c. fish stock and saffron and bring to boil. Stir in pasta and return to boil. Reduce heat and gently simmer till pasta is cooked, 15 to 20 min, stirring occasionally. If mix dries out too much before pasta is completely cooked, add in remaining stock. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve at once. Makes 4 servings.