Denise says:

Authentic Paella is made with Valencia rice and seafood such as prawns, which is an obvious problem for Jews as seafood is prohibited under the laws of Kashrut. So I have adapted this traditional Spanish dish to produce a kosher version that has all the flavours of the classic;: it is made with red mullet, red tomatoes, red peppers and red snapper.

Smoked paprika, made in Spain from smoked ground pimiento peppers can be found in varying intensities from sweet and mild (dulce) and medium hot (agridulce) and hot (picante). It adds the absolutely perfect taste of real paella giving the dish a striking deep red colour. It has an intoxicating smoky aroma from slow oak smoking, and a silky texture from grinding between stones.

Keep this smoked paprika for BBQ, roast potatoes - Sephardi Jews often use smoked paprika to flavour roast potatoes, sauces, stews, chicken, roast meats and grills.

I love the combinations of colour, flavour and texture and would make this at any opportunity – it’s an easy recipe I am sure you will want to make regularly!

Preparation Time:15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 x 170g (5 oz) tuna steaks cut into 2 cm (1inch) cubes
1 x 900g (2lb) Red Snapper – skinned and filleted cut into 6 pieces
2 red mullets – filleted and cut in to 6 pieces
1 red onion – peeled and roughly chopped
4 tablespoons – olive oil
3 cloves garlic – peeled and chopped
2 red peppers – deseeded and roughly chopped
340g (12 oz) Valencia rice (Spanish Rice) or use risotto if unavailable
1 tablespoon paprika
900ml (1 ½ pints) hot vegetable stock
300ml dry white wine
1 teaspoon saffron
225g (8 oz) frozen peas
225g (8 oz) cherry tomatoes – cut in half
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Garnish
2 tablespoons pitted black olives – cut in half
2 lemons – cut into wedges
12 sprigs of flat leaf parsley

Method

1)Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan. Lightly sauté the onions, peppers, garlic, red snapper and red mullet until softened. (Approximately 5 minutes.)
2)Add the rice and the paprika to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes or until the rice has become transparent.
3)Place the vegetable stock, wine, saffron and peas into a different saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes.
4)Add the stock mixture to the rice and vegetables and simmer covered for about 15 minutes.
5)Add the chopped tuna and continue cooking covered for a further 5 minutes or until the tuna is just cooked. (Overcooked tuna is tough and leathery.)
6)Add the tomatoes, lemon juice and zest and mix into the Paella.
7)Season to taste before serving immediately.

To Serve the stylish way: Serve a generous helping onto a warmed plate and garnish with chopped parsley, black olives and lemon wedges.
Tagged in: Dairy, Fish, Low Fat, Rice, Spanish