Melquiades Aseron III

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Arroz con Cosas

Arroz con Cosas Melquiades Aseron III

This easy dish is cooked in a paella (the pan used to cook the emblematic Spanish dish by the same name) and, due to the use of ingredients such as chicken wings and green peas, is a sure crowd-pleaser. However, there are a couple of techniques that will need some practice.

Ingredients & Tools (4 servings)

Arroz con cosas ingredients Melquiades Aseron III
  • 1 cup of arroz bomba (200g)
  • 3 cups of chicken stock
  • 6 pieces whole chicken wings, chilled or otherwise already thawed (300-350g)
  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • 1 medium-sized green bell pepper
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 teaspoon of paprika
  • ½ cup of frozen green peas (80g)
  • Salt
  • Olive oil
  • Food coloring, orange (optional)

Tools

“Arroz con Cosas”, not Paella

My husband and I call this recipe “arroz con cosas” (rice with stuff) and not paella to avoid getting into the same controversy that Jamie Oliver found himself embroiled in after publishing a “paella recipe” - I write this with a big grin because it’s an entertaining debate here in Spain.

Paella, which some say comes from the Latin word “patella”, is a traditional dish from Valencia and contains these essential ingredients: bomba rice, chicken, rabbit, lima beans, green beans, tomatoes, olive oil, saffron, paprika, a small branch of rosemary, and salt.

In this recipe, the word “paella” is used to refer to the pan, i.e. the second meaning of the word according to the Real Academia Española.

Food Safety Tips

As always, food safety comes first.

This recipe uses chicken meat, so it is best to take the following precautions when handling this protein:

1. Use a separate knife and chopping board when preparing chicken.
  • This reduces the risk of cross-contamination.
  • I personally try to always chop vegetables first before preparing meat.
2. Inspect the chicken meat before preparing it.
  • It should be pinkish and there should be minimal smell coming from the meat.
  • Remember to pluck any bits of feather that weren’t completely removed from the chicken.
3. Do not wash chicken meat.
  • Washing meat is counterproductive as it actually risks spreading any bacteria on it around your cooking area. If you’re worried about salmonella, it is more productive to use a thermometer to check that the heat is at least 74°C (165°F) when cooking chicken.
4. Wash hands for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food.
  • Frequent handwashing is a good habit that can be developed over time.

This is how you protect yourself, your family, and loved ones, as well as your customers (if you’re in the food industry).

How to make Arroz con Cosas

1. Prepare the following ingredients:

  • Chicken wings: chop each wing into two parts, the drumette and the wingette (with the wing tip). Keeping the skin intact is recommended for more flavor.
  • Green bell pepper: remove the stem and seeds, and then chop into strips of 3-4cm (1-1.5”).
  • Garlic: Mince it or crush it using a garlic press.
  • Tomato: Grate it; you can discard the skin if you want.
  • Chicken stock: Heat it in the microwave for around 3 minutes on the highest setting. If you want your dish to look bright, add some orange food coloring before popping it in the microwave.

2. Heat some olive oil in the paella.

  • Set the heat to medium-high.

3. Fry the chicken wings.

  • Make sure to fry the wings until they turn golden brown. Depending on the heat, this can take between 8-10 minutes. There’s no need to make the skin crispy.
  • Once cooked, remove the chicken and set it aside on a plate.
  • Bring the heat down to medium-low.

4. Cook the sofrito.

In the same way that garlic and onions (usually sautéed) are an essential part of almost all Filipino dishes, the sofrito is an important element in Spanish cuisine. For this dish, though, we won’t be using onions (a common ingredient in sofritos).

Sofrito Melquiades Aseron III
4a. Add the garlic and green bell pepper strips.
  • Important: Make sure that the paella isn’t too hot when you add the garlic, as you might end up burning them.
  • Cook until the bell pepper strips are soft.
4b. Pour in the grated tomato.
  • Cook for a couple of minutes.
4c. Add the paprika.
  • Continue cooking until the mix caramelizes and becomes darker.
    • Important: Be careful not to burn the paprika, as this will produce a bitter taste. Keep the heat on medium-low to prevent this.

There should be a strong savory (umami) and slightly smoky smell dominated by the paprika.

5. Pour in the chicken stock.

  • Turn up the heat to medium-high.
  • Season by adding sprinkling small amounts of salt at a time and using a spoon to taste it, until the desired taste is achieved.
  • As it has been pre-heated in the microwave, it should not take long for it to start boiling.

6. Add the green peas.

  • Once the chicken stock starts boiling, add the green peas.

7. Add the arroz bomba.

  • Right after adding the green peas, add the arroz bomba and stir with your wooden spoon to evenly spread them around the paella.
  • Once the arroz bomba has been added and distributed evenly in the pan, the dish must no longer be stirred.

8. Add the chicken wings.

  • Place each piece of wing by lining them along the edge of the paella, spacing them evenly apart.
  • I personally place the drumettes and wingettes alternately.
  • Lower the heat to medium.
Arroz con cosas simmering Melquiades Aseron III

9. Let the rice cook until the chicken stock is nearly gone.

  • Leave it to simmer for around 10-15 minutes or until the liquid has almost been fully absorbed or evaporated.
    • Important: Do not be tempted to leave it unattended.
  • Grease tends to accumulate around the edges of the paella, and I use a spoon to scoop and pour it back in the center of the paella.

10. Achieving the socarrat.

The socarrat is toasted rice at the bottom of dishes cooked in the paella. This is achieved by continuing to cook the dish even after all of the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated.

Socarrat Melquiades Aseron III
  • Once the liquid is nearly gone, you can increase the heat slightly. If this is the first time you’re cooking this dish, you can keep the heat at medium and just patiently wait to slowly achieve the socarrat.
  • You will start hearing some crackling sounds - this means that the rice at the bottom is being toasted.
  • In order to stay in control of the process, I check the cook on the socarrat by using a metal spoon to gently lift the rice (and then putting it back to preserve the dish’s presentation).
  • It should look mildly toasted brown, and it should not smell burnt.

11. Remove the paella from the stove and cover with a kitchen towel.

  • Once you’re satisfied with the socarrat, turn off the heat, remove the paella from the stove and put it on top of a trivet (which I like covering with a couple of pot holders beforehand).
  • Cover the paella with a large kitchen towel for 15-20 minutes to ensure that the rice is thoroughly cooked with its own steam.

12. Say grace and serve.

Arroz con Cosas final dish Melquiades Aseron III

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