Wine & Camping Ideas

[stevebody]

Here's a neat little idea that I've used repeatedly:

Find a good Paella recipe that uses a simple sofrito (the garlic/onion paste that flavors paella) and make the sofrito ahead of time. Cool it and seal in a jar. Take the veggies the recipe calls for and plunge them into a pot of rapidly boiling water for about a minute, followed by a quick plunge into an ice bath. Seal these in a ziplock bag. Take jars or cans of your own or a commercial chicken broth.

Cook off either Bomba (preferrably) or Arborio rice until it is just slightly crunchy and drain. Rinse it lightly, ONCE. Cool in the fridge and package in Tupperware.

At the campsite, in a large flat pan (a paella pan is great but a good UNCOATED fry pan will work) pour in about half the broth/stock and bring to a boil. Add the veggies and let them boil for about a minute. Add your sausage, clams, chicken, or whatever you like in paella and give that about a minute. DON'T add shrimp yet, if you're using that. Add the rice and a good chunk of the sofrito - consult your recipe for excat quantities and, of course, adjust for volume - and stir well. Bring to a fast boil and cover. Check it quickly and add the shrimp at the very last minute, to avoid overcooking. Let it cook long enough for the liquid to be absorbed. (You can also start this recipe with dry rice. I've just simplified it to make it faster and more camping-friendly. If you're doing it this way, remember: The rice has already absorbed most of the liquid it can. Reduce your amount of stock/broth and don't let the rice swim in liquid.)

The important thing is to LEAVE IT ALONE. Don't complusively stir it. You want that nice brown, caramelized crust to form on the rice at the bottom of the pan. When it looks dry and you start to see good browning at the edges, turn off heat and scrape the bottom, turning it over as you go.

That's it. Serve with a great, cheap Spanish wine like Vina Alarba, Etim, Torres Sangre de Toro, Mas Igneus Barranc dels Closos, Vega Sindoa Tampranillo-Merlot, Marques de Grinon Durius Tempranillo, or Finca Antigua Tempranillo.

People will think you're cool...

[This message has been edited by stevebody (edited 07-24-2003).]