Spanish Noodle Paella
In Spain, a paella made with noodles instead of rice is called fideua. Add shrimp and clams and it’s called fideua de gambas y almejas. Add cannabis-infused olive oil and you can just call it fantastico.
Whatever you call this delicious one-dish dinner, it’s a balanced mix of seafood and pasta, accentuated with a flavourful blend of seasonings, including fennel, garlic, saffron, chili, tomato and lemon.
Recipe by Chef Ronnie Fishman, words by Devon Scoble.
Ingredients
2 cups water, divided
1/4 tsp saffron threads, crumbled
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red chili, finely chopped
1 fennel bulb, finely sliced
4 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb tomatoes, seeded, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp sweet paprika
3 8-oz bottles clam juice
10 oz cappellini or spaghetti pasta, broken into 1-inch pieces (about 2 1/3 cups)
I lb small clams
18-20 uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined (keep shells)
1 lemon, zest only
cannabis-infused olive oil as desired
**Reserve any clean vegetable scraps from preparation, such as parsley stalks, onion skins, etc.
Method
Place 1 tablespoon water in a cup or small bowl and mix in saffron. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, chili, fennel, 3 tablespoons of the parsley and garlic. Sauté until onion is lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Mix in tomatoes. Simmer until almost all tomato juices have evaporated, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, paprika, and saffron mixture. (Sauce base can be made 1 day ahead, if you wish; cover and chill.)
In a large pot, sautee shrimp shells in one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat, until they turn pink. Add clam juice and bring to boil over medium-high heat for 20 minutes (add any vegetable scraps you may have from your prep). Strain and reserve broth.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss the noodles with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread onto a sheet pan. Toast until golden brown (about 4-5 minutes).
Heat sauce base in a paella pan or very large skillet over medium heat. Add noodle pieces; stir 1 minute. Add 3 cups broth mixture; bring to boil, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat and simmer until noodles are almost tender, about 7 minutes. Mix in clams and 1 cup water. Cover and cook until clams open, about 5 minutes; discard any that do not open. Mix in shrimp. Cover and simmer about 6 minutes, until shrimp is just cooked through (it will be plump and pink), adding water by 1/4 cupfuls if paella is dry. Uncover and simmer until noodles are tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley.
Plate in individual bowls and top each serving with a desired amount of cannabis olive oil and lemon zest.
