San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
A paella for San Francisco
There’s no doubt this seafoodpacked paella, from chef Ryan McIlwraith of the SoMa Spanish restaurant Bellota, is a project. But it’s the kind of project that can be fun to take on because it’s doable in organized spurts. And the results are spectacular.
It starts with sofrito, aromatic vegetables that are slowly cooked in olive oil until their flavor is completely rendered, and then cooked some more with finely chopped squid, creating a base for the rice that pretty much guarantees complexity of flavor. You can make this days in advance.
When you’re getting ready to serve the paella, you then cook most of the toppings in small batches, such as delicate scallops and clams, roasted spring onions and crispy fideua noodles. This way there’s less chance of overcooking anything or of lastminute stress when the rice is done.
At Bellota, which is part of the restaurant group behind Absinthe and Barcino, McIlwraith calls this paella “San Francisco Treat” because the fideua call to mind the noodleandrice combo RiceaRoni. I’d call it a treat because once you taste it, you’ll likely be willing to start the project all over again.
Recipe: Bellota’s ‘San Francisco Treat’ Paella
Look for fideua, rice and squid ink at the Spanish Table, which has locations in Berkeley, Mill Valley and San Francisco.
Squid & Green Pepper Sofrito
1½ cups finely chopped yellow onion
1 cup finely chopped green pepper
½ cup finely chopped fennel
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 cups extra virgin olive oil (such as Spanish Arbequina) 1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 cup cleaned and finely chopped squid
Paella
2 red spring onions or young shallots
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup fideua noodles (or broken vermicelli or angel hair pasta) 3 cups seafood stock
1 teaspoon squid ink
½ cup white wine
6 small clams, cleaned
4 large scallops
4 large shrimp, shells removed
6 small squid (tubes and tentacles), cleaned
4 stalks asparagus, blanched and cut into bite-size pieces ½ cup bomba rice (McIlwraith prefers Arroz de Valencia D.O.P. Santo Tomas)
1 roasted red bell pepper, skin and seeds removed, cut into bite-size pieces
Aioli for serving (optional)
Lemon slices for serving (optional) To make the sofrito: Place the onion, green pepper, fennel, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and rosemary in a narrow saucepan. Pour the olive oil over the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook on low heat for 1 hour until very soft, without frying or browning.
Add the green onion and chopped squid. Continue cooking on low heat for 45 minutes, until the squid is braised and tender. Cool and skim off any excess oil on top (you can save this for your next batch of sofrito). The sofrito can be made ahead and refrigerated for several days or even be put in the freezer.
To make the paella: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the whole spring onions in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a small baking sheet and roast until caramelized and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Chop into ½-inch pieces.
Toss the fideua noodles in ½ teaspoon olive oil. Spread out on a small baking sheet and toast until deep golden brown, approximately 6-8 minutes (keep an eye out so they don’t burn). Let cool.
Place the seafood stock in a saucepan and whisk in the squid ink. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and gently simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place the white wine and clams in a small saute pan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat slightly. Cook until the clam shells fully open, discarding any that don’t open. Remove from heat and set aside.
Toss the scallops, shrimp and squid in about a tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large cast iron pan over high heat. When hot, sear the asparagus, scallops, shrimp and squid, placing a small weight (such as a plate) on top, until a nice golden crust forms, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Cook in batches if necessary.
Place a 12-inch paella pan or thick-bottomed saute pan on the largest burner on the stove. Add 1 cup of the sofrito (save the extra to use in pasta or other rice dishes) and the stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir occasionally to distribute the sofrito and prevent it from burning. Once boiling, sprinkle the rice evenly over the liquid. Stir to combine and cook over high heat for 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add the roasted onions and toasted fideua noodles and cook for another 8 minutes. Stir rarely, if at all, until the paella has cooked out most of its liquid and a crust called the socarrat starts to form at the bottom of the pan.
Add the seafood, asparagus and bell pepper evenly over the top of the paella. Cook, without stirring, until the socarrat has formed on the bottom of the pan and no liquid is left, keeping an eye on the rice to make sure it doesn’t scorch.
Remove from heat and cover with a napkin or towel. Let the paella rest for a few minutes to allow the heat to evenly distribute.
Serve right away with aioli and a few slices of lemon, if using.
Tara Duggan is The San Francisco Chronicle’s assistant food editor. Email: tduggan@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @taraduggan