Saffron, the jury's in.

[mangaman]

Consistency and look was good but it lacked flavour and the Chorizo I bought was not so nice. I didn't spice it as I wanted the kids to eat it, so no chillies and I didn't use stock for the rice as the recipe (a Gordon Ramsay one) said it didn't need it. When I do it again I reckon I'll change a few things which should improve it. Recommendations for obtaining a good Chorizo are welcome.

Crackle I love to cook paella and do it a lot, but not always successfully. It's a tough dish to get right.

Seasoning a paella is particularly hard as once the rice is in you shoudn't touch / stir it until you dish it up (unlike a risotto).

I think if you have a really good flavour base of veg (onions/carrots/leeks) cooked in olive oil for 30 mins minimum you don't need stock. Maybe a glug of wine if you've got some.

Also don't add paprika when frying the veg as paprika is already cooked and burns very quickly, giving a nasty flavour. Add it just before the rice.
Some saffron which has been soaked in hot water is essential!

Some pequillo peppers if affordable are delicious.

I also start the whole thing off with rabbit chopped into little chunks - browned in the pan then removed - before adding the veg. as this is cheap and traditional. Then anything else can be bunged in. Fish / chorizo / veg (even frozen peas) / nothing other than the rabbit. It's always delicious if you get that initial seasoning right.

Finally a proper paella pan is important. A frying pan doesn't diffuse the heat evenly, and some rice is overdone and some burnt.

Sorry to sound like a gnarled Spanish matriarch - I just like experimenting with paella

 

[Crackle]

I'm not sure I can match such daunting devotion Mangaman but I appreciate the tips and will insert them into my next attempt. A proper Paella pan is a problem. I've an induction cooker, so I use pans with heavy bases which spread the heat, seems to work quite well unlike woks which translate less well to induction.