My New Favorite Food

As you may have guessed, not only have I fallen in love with Southern culture, charm and hospitality, I have also fallen in love with the food. This unfortunately is noted in an upcoming blog where you will witness the 100 pounds that I have gained since crossing the Mason-Dixon Line. I dearly love “sweet tea” but I gather all of my willpower to order the unsweetened variety so that I do not gain another 100 pounds from just drinking the delicious sweet tea of the South. However, I have discovered one Southern dish that I can not resist Paella.



I had this dish for the first time at New Orleans Bar and Grill at Demopolis Yacht Basin and I truly thought I had died and gone to heaven. Never in my life have I tasted any food that was as good as this dish. I have not yet tried to make it myself as I am so afraid that my effort at recreating this dish will not even come close to the perfection that I had in Demopolis. However, if you would like to make the dish, I would be more than willing to be the official taste tester to see if your creation is as good as the Alabama version.

Paella

Servings:6 Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
• 8 ounces fresh or frozen medium shrimp in shells
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion (1 large)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4-6 chicken breasts
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon snipped fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground saffron
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 medium red or green sweet pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup loose-pack frozen peas (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped, seeded tomato (1 medium)

Directions:

1. Thaw shrimp, if frozen. Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact. Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

2. Lightly coat an unheated Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is tender.

3. Add chicken, broth, dried thyme (if using), salt, saffron, and cayenne pepper to Dutch oven. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

4. Stir in uncooked rice. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes more or until rice is almost tender. Stir shrimp, sweet pepper, peas, tomato, and fresh thyme (if using) into the rice mixture. Simmer, covered, for 5 to 8minutes more or until the rice and chicken are tender and shrimp turn opaque.