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Paella de los Montañas

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TasunkaWitko View Drop Down
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Joined: 25 January 2010
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    Posted: 26 September 2010 at 22:24
Perhaps the title should be Arroz con Venado (rice with vension), but I like the one I chose, which hopefully says "mountain-style paella." Strictly speaking in regards to Spanish cuisine, I'm not quite sure whether this would more properly be a variation of arroz con pollo or of paella, but it sure was good!
 
as i discussed before, i had long wanted "andar de paella" ("to go for paella") featuring our fine north-central montana venison. i know from my reading that paella is what you make of it using the ingredients at hand, and that the only hard-and-fast requirements for paella are the rice, the saffron and preparation "en la paella" (the round, flat pan that evolved especially for this national dish of spain); therefore, i choose to call it paella, adding the appellation "de los montañas" in order to evoke images of sheepherders or perhaps spanish outdoorsmen preparing this dish using freshly-killed deer and mushrooms they had found in the forest. either way, this was a true joy to prepare and to eat.
 
here's a shot of the goods (not pictured: butter, salt and pepper): 
 
 
roughly left-to right: (back) beef and chicken base, 1 pound of frozen peas, 3 packages of mahatma saffron rice, 1 package of el avion paella seasoning, smoked paprika, spanish chardonnay from don luciano winery in la mancha, extra virgin olive oil; (middle) 1/2 pound of fresh mushrooms, sliced, 2 packages of sazón goya con azafran, 2 chopped onions; (front) 5 cloves garden-grown colorado garlic, 2 lbs. mule deer loin, cut into cubes.
 
the venison comes from local mule deer that were shot just a few miles north of my home. i used two pounds of venison loin total, one pound coming from a large, old doe and the other coming from a small, young buck.
 
the paella pan is easy to procure in this day and age of online shopping. having said that, mine was purchased at a world market in billings for 20$ and is a well-made, genuine paella pan made in spain. it is 14 inches across at the top and makes enough paella to feed 6-8 hungry people.
 
as usual, this dish is relatively easy and requires ingredients that are not at all exotic. the exception may be in my use of smoked paprika which, in montana at least, was rather difficult to find. if you cannot find some, regular spanish paprika will suffice just as easily; however, the use of smoked paprika does add an earthy, outdoorsy dimension and body that really, in my mind, heightens the experience.
 
 
another excellent addition was in this inexpensive yet very nice chardonnay from don luciano winery, which is actually located in spain's south-central la mancha region. this is evidently a newer wineery and there isn't much information out there other than some sporadic (and positive) mentionings and one site that features "vinicodes" with statistics relating to the character of the wine. the label reads:
 
Quote this fine chardonnay, of beautiful golden colour, is the result of a careful selection of the finest grapes of the la mancha appellation. complex, elegant and sensual, this wine is rich in flavours of citrus, apples, bananas and tropical fruits. very clean, fresh and long on the finish, our chardonnay is a great match with fish, shellfish, salads and pasta, as well as other traditional mediterranean foods.
 
bottled by j. garcia carrion la mancha s.a. daimiel (ciudad real) españa REN CLM-437/CR
imported by shaw-ross international importers. miramar, florida
 
the extra virgin olive oil, depite the humble "store brand" label, is also imported from spain and, like the wine, is very good at a very modest price.
 
for the sake of convenience and economy (saffron is expensive!), and also to add a boost of flavour, i did rely on a few shortcuts that i would not normally take. the first was in using packaged "saffron rice" from mahatma, which is very good rice and serves well for this purpose - and, at 68¢ per package, it is easy on the budget. i also boosted the saffron flavour as well as a few other flavours by employing the use of seasoning packages from goya and el avion; the latter came with my paella pan.
 
 
the two times i made spanish rice dishes in the past, the beautiful mrs. tas said that the final product seemed a little bland to her, which is surprising given her usual timid approach to foreign flavours; therefore, i decided this time rather than use one spice package, i would use two different kinds. since this paella is dealing with bold flavours of venison rather than the normal, subtle flavours of seafood and chicken, i decided to add one extra packa of the sazón goya.
 
here are the primary seasonings featured in this dish; clockwise from the top are 1 generous teaspoon of smoked paprika (after tasting the finished dish, i believe that two may have been a little better, all things considered), one envelope of the el avion paella spice mixture and two of the sazón goya con azafran (saffron) packets.
 
 
i found the el avion seasoning to be very earthy, bold and warm, while the sazón goya con azafran was a bit saltier and very savory, bringing the japanese concept of umami to mind. the flavours in both together were very good and could all be found in a well-stocked spice rack, but here they were, all pre-measured and pre-packaged. worthy of note is that both varieties of spice packages featured saffron and paprika, providing a boost to the saffron rice and the smoked paprika i was using.
 
i like to have been able to use some good spanish chorizo, but i had none on hand and there is none available for at least a hundred miles in any direction; also, for those who like bell peppers (or even chiles), these would have been very much at home in this dish, but due to personal tastes (i am not a big fan of bell peppers) and mrs. taz's sensitivity to spicy foods, i did not use any.
 
my prep work finished, the time came to begin preparation. as is my usual habit, i resolved my conflict over whether to use butter or olive oil by using an equal amount of both totalling maybe 3 or 4 tablespoons, heating them in my paella pan over medium-high heat.
 
 
i had considered grilling the venison cubes over my gas grill and then adding them to the paella at the point where the fish or chicken would normally be added; however for some reason, i made a snap decision to begin the paella by sautéing the venison and onions together with a little black pepper and a very small amount of spanish sea salt, beginning with the venison and adding the onions a few minutes after the venison had had a chance to sear a bit.
 
 
this method did work and produce acceptable results, but right away i realized that, from an execution standpoint, it would probably have been better to sear the meat first and remove it (or stick to my original plan and grill it), adding it later in the preparation. the method i chose was fine, but cumbersome as i kept trying to stir ingredients around; also, the onions never did carmelise to my liking, and they most likely would have had i done them alone. in any case, as the venison and onions reached a state of brown-ness, i removed the pan from the heat and added the garlic, stirring for a minute or two in order to sweat the garlic and get the flavours married together.
 
 
i then added the packages of rice and then the seasonings; as you can see, some beautiful and very spanish colours were involved in this step:
 
 
after stirring the mixture around a bit to introduce the rice to the seasonings, fats and juices, i added the mushrooms
 
 
and stirred them around for a few moments in order to distribute flavours and ingredients. next came a little butter (about 2 tablespoons, cut into pieces and distributed throughout the pan) and the liquids, which would serve the dual purpose of de-glazing the pan and cooking the rice.  the packages for the rice specified 1 and 2/3 cup of water per package of rice, bringing the total amount of liquid to 5 cups. in order to compensate for the frozen peas i would be adding later, i elected to use 4 and 1/2 cups of liquid.
 
 
when i made my first, more traditional paella, i simply used chicken broth; however, this time, i decided to take advantage of the meat and of the spanish wine i had in my posession. i had flirted with the idea of using some venison stock that i had prepared a few years ago and tucked deep away in my freezer, but due to its age i wasn't sure of its quality, so i went with a tried-and-true flavour pairing for venison, which is a half-and-half mixture of beef and chicken broth - experience has taught me that both together bring out the best in each when used with venison (also with pork); i would have preferred to use home-made stock, but this did suffice very well. of the 4 and 1/2 cups of liquid, about half of that was the white spanish wine mentioned above. the combination of the savory broth and the rich wine produced a result that was more than the sum of its excellent parts and i was impressed with how this concept worked out.
 
finally, i added the frozen peas
 
 
and stirred them into the whole dish as best i could. by now, the pan was full exactly to the brim, just as it had been on my previous paella attempt, and try as i might, i could not prevent a little spilling over the side now and then. this is a cardinal sin when making paella, as the flavours involved are so precious (and considering the saffron, potentially expensive!) and every last bit of goodness needs to remain in the pan; not to mention, the rice needs a fairly specific amount of liquid in order to cook properly, so i was as careful as could be.
 
i knew that this would result in good eating for our family of six, and after bringing the liquid to a boil, i gently stirred one more time while reducing the heat to the lowest setting. the dense rice settled down to the bottom of the pan along with the venison and as the simmering began, i carefully covered the pan with a "lid" of foil, utilising the "portuguese" crutch so that i could guarantee even cooking of the rice and full absorption of the liquids. the foil was loose above the paella, but was crimped tight to the edges of the pan in order to keep the moisture inside.
 
after about 40 minutes, i tentatively lifted the foil; to my delight, i found that my patience was rewarded with a sight of rich, savory goodness:
 
 
i stirred our late lunch/early supper around a bit and then let it rest maybe another 10 minutes or so while i prepared the plates and some lemonade to drink. the paella seemed a little bit moist and saucy, yet the rice was tender and well-done. there were a few odd grains that seemed slighty toothy or crunchy in the center, but only a few, compared to last time when there were many. a little more liquid or a little longer simmering might have taken care of this, but it was certainly not a meal-ruining thing.
 
we served the paella with buttered ciabatta rolls and enjoyed a very nice meal:
 
 
the venison, saffron and other flavours of the dish came out very well. as mentioned above, a little more of the smoked paprika wouldn't have hurt at all, and there were a few odd "toothsome" grains of rice. the mushrooms and peas worked very well with the venison, onions and garlic, and the subtle, earthy tones of saffron combined with the smoked paprika and other spices to provide a solid, savory base for all. interestingly, it was not hard to tell the two different deer apart when eating the finished dish; the meat from the older doe was much more tender and moist while that from the young buck was a bit tougher and drier, in spite of the braising.
 
 
i am still not certain if this is authentically spanish, but i can say without a doubt that it is excellent and worth further development and i would certainly recommend outdoorsmen with an interest in spanish cuisine to try it. this was a very hearty and complex dish with several levels, but at the same time it was very basic, rustic and  nostalgic. a very good way to honour the long and celebrated hunting traditions in spain
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hoser Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 September 2010 at 02:50
Magnificent Ron! I'm sure that is almost exactly what the spaniards would have done with their rabbit. Did the soccorat develop well? 
Go ahead...play with your food!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 September 2010 at 05:43
Beautiful description of the post and a truly delicious looking paella! Looks as authentic as one would find in the mountains. Good job Clap
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 September 2010 at 07:11
thanks, guys - as i said we all enjoyed this one quite a bit!.
 
dave - i may not have let this one simmer long enough to develop a soccorat or costra. the bottom was a little sticky, but there was no actual crust, which is unfortunate!Cry
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hoser Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 September 2010 at 12:25
From the looks of it Ron, I would not have cared a whit ...looked absolutely wonderful. Kudos to you for going "outside the box" and adapting to what you wanted to have.

Once again...well done my friend!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dla69 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 April 2011 at 15:46
Making this for dinner, again.  :)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 April 2011 at 13:51
hey, dave - glad you like this one! i'll be doing it again soon, i am sure, now that spring is springing and i might get to try it outdoors. i am thinking a similar theme but perhaps with trout.....
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