Monthly Archives: June 2022

Spectacular Seafood Paella with Minimal Effort

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From Albert Bevia:
What really flavors this paella is the saffron, sweet smoked paprika and the fish broth. Important to use these ingredients to make this paella, as it´s what gives this dish that authentic Spanish touch.

TIPS & TRICKS to make this Recipe: I used a paella pan, but you can also use a standard frying pan. Though the cooking times will vary. Because of the design of a Paella pan, the rice cooks much faster. So expect to cook the rice for 1 to 2 minutes longer than stated below if using a frying pan.

Spectacular Seafood Paella with Minimal Effort

Watch Albert preparing this recipe: https://youtu.be/6q_Vs6A2Gmw

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 60 ml
  • 8 scallops
  • 1 small onion
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika 2.30 grams
  • 3 cups fish broth 710 ml
  • 1/4 tsp saffron threads .17 grams
  • 1 cup round rice 200 grams
  • 15 raw jumbo shrimp peeled & deveined
  • 1/3 cup frozen peas 45
  • 2 jarred roasted red bell peppers
  • pinch sea salt
  • dash black pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat a paella pan with a medium heat and add in 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  2. Meanwhile, add the scallops over some paper towels, pat them dry and season with sea salt & black pepper
  3. Add the scallops into the hot paella pan, all in a single layer, sear for 1 minute per side, then remove the scallops and set aside
  4. Add in 1 small onion finely diced into the paella pan and mix continuously, after 2 minutes add in 6 cloves garlic roughly minced, mix for 30 seconds, then add in 2 tomatoes finely grated, 1 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika and a pinch of sea salt, mix together and simmer
  5. After 3 minutes and the grated tomato has thickened up, add in 3 cups fish broth, pinch in 1/4 tsp saffron threads and turn up the heat to a high heat
  6. Once the broth comes to a boil, add in the 1 cup of round rice, give it one final mix so everything is evenly distributed, after this step don´t mix the rice again
  7. After 8 to 9 minutes and most of the broth has been absorbed by the rice, but there is still some broth left, lower to a low-medium heat, add in the scallops back into the pan (cut in half), the shrimp (seasoned with salt & pepper) and 1/3 cup frozen peas, making sure as you add the ingredients you evenly spread them out, continue to simmer until all the broth has been absorbed, about 5 minutes
  8. Once all the broth has been absorbed, hit it to a medium-high heat and go for 1 to 2 minutes, this is to achieve the soccarat, which is the layer of caramelized burnt rice underneath, then remove the pan from the heat
  9. Add in the jarred roasted red bell peppers (cut into strips) over the rice, then cover the pan with a dishcloth and let it sit for a couple of minutes, then uncover and serve, enjoy!

Deep Frying with Olive Oil Imparts Healthy Compounds

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Deep Frying with Olive Oil Imparts Healthy Compounds

We often get the question:  “Can you cook with extra virgin olive oil? Some sources on the internet say NO?” The smoking point of a true extra virgin olive oil is 410 degrees, so it works very well for cooking. While some healthy compounds are lost during cooking, olive oil is still a much healthier alternative for cooking than other oils.

A recent study in Food Chemistry showed that healthy elements found in virgin olive oil are imparted to food when deep frying. The compounds transferred were some of the polyphenols and tocopherols (Vitamin E) found in higher quality olive oil. They also acknowledged that some of the healthy compounds are destroyed during the cooking process, but that the end result has much healthier phenols than when deep frying with oils that lack these healthy substances, like refined vegetable and seed oils. This test was conducted under typical household environments and not industrial ones.

Virgin olive oils are obtained from the fruit of the olive tree with no chemical alteration or heat treatment, and differ from extra virgin olive oils due to their higher free acidity levels. The Essential Guide to Extra Virgin Olive Oil  provides a clear and complete understanding of how an EVOO is made, and why it is the healthiest cooking oil of all.  As you may know, Apollo Olive Oil is certified EVOO, and our website provides the free fatty acid, polyphenol, and tocopherol analyses of each of our oils.