Is it possible? Yes it is. Paella!

Paella! Take One.

All righty then, the reason this is take one is because there is going to be...wait for it....a take two. This dish is a winner in every respect and I've been wanting to get it out there for a while. The bummer is I don't have any pictures from the last time I made it. So what I am going to do is post the recipe and in a few weeks I'm hitting the trail again and I'm going to make this dish which means that next week I'll be doing the preparation. At that time I'll take pictures and add a few more comments on the method I used for putting this dish together. Good to Go? Good. So without further dawdling, I would like to introduce you to Paella a la Heathen.


(D) = dehydrate
Makes 6 servings

(1) 4.5 oz can of diced/chopped clams (D)
6 ounces of medium size raw medium shrimp (D) Save yourself some time and get the devained ones. And to save yourself some cash get a bag of the frozen shrimp.

(2) large cubes or packets of chicken bullion
(1) medium onion finely chopped (D)
(2) cups of rice
Lets take a moment and talk about the rice. You can use regular every day long grain rice, but you ain't everybody else so why act like it. If you want to dress to impress then here's a suggestion, Jasmine Rice....let that sink in for a minute. Or Basmati. Now we're talking. But I know what you're thinking, these rices take about 20-25 minutes to cook! Not anymore. Our local grocery store has started stocking 10 minute versions of these about a year ago. So I ask you; if you could choose between every day, every other person long grain white rice or something like Jasmine what would you do? Time to remember the Don't Be a Heathen motto if you're having trouble deciding.

Moving on...

(3) cloves of garlic, chopped (Bring fresh cloves of garlic for crying out loud, this is no time to get cheap)
(1) teaspoon of dried thyme leaves
(1/2) teaspoon saffron thread, crushed (This will separate the true believers from the wanna-bees. Saffron is thee most expensive spice in the world. A few thread of this stuff cost about $18.00 and yes you can buy it in most grocery stores' spice section. It will be wrapped in paper inside of the spice bottle. Unwrap the paper carefully and extract One thread of Saffron, put it in a small zip-lock with the other spices. BTW, I can tell just by looking at your Paella if you used saffron or not......I'm watching.)

(1) pint, cherry tomatoes, halved (D)
(1) cup of peas, petite if you can find them (D) (Just so you know petite peas are small peas as in smaller than regular peas. The can will say "petite" which takes the guess work out of it.)
(1) tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley

And that's the recipe.Well almost. I did say it was a la Heathen which means I add a little sumptin, sumptin extra. Sausage! boom...and not just any sausage either. The first few times I made this I used chorizo and the past few times I've used andouille.

The choice is personal preference but here are some of the differences between the two to help you decide. Chorizo in my opinion has more flavor with a nice spicy bite to it but it is a greasier sausage. The only problem with that is that it takes longer to dehydrate and you have to pat it with paper towels even after the dehydrating is done to get the excess grease out of it.Andouille on the other hand is not as greasy but it doesn't have the same flavor kick to it.So there you go, either one is a winner in my book and you can't go wrong regardless of which you choose. And if you don't like these go with something else there's plenty of different types of sausage to choose from.

So Paella! part one is a wrap. Next week when I'm doing the prep work I'll post the pictures along with the method. So, until then remember, just because you're in the back country that's no reason to be a Heathen.

Heathen -out...

Heathen Annual Reunion

Heathen Annual Reunion

So, every year for the last five years the Heathen's get together, rent a cabin in the middle of nowhere and escape civilization for a few days. When I say cabin, I mean rustic living at its finest, life as it was meant to be lived. No electricity, running water or the convenience of a good piece of porcelain. Our light comes from lanterns, our water from a stream and when nature calls there's a conveniently located privy. There's nothing like strolling to the privy on a cold winters morning with a roll of TP in your hand to let you know you're alive. Actually, in the winter it's best to be the second one to the privy this way its all warmed up.....get it?

Now, just because the accommodations are rustic doesn't mean we're eating canned beans and struggling through the weekend or even longer. No-sirr-ee, we wouldn't have any of it. This is a time that we go all out, the works. Good food, good drink and good company is what makes this work. A box or two of good cigars doesn't hurt either.

Before I get in to that....the thing I like about this particular cabin is that it has a proper wood stove, the cooking on type with an oven, boom! Now, last year when we were here I learned that this stove's oven had some limitations mainly due to the fact that the stove has a small wood box area making heat transfer in to the oven less then ideal. Basically, anything more than dinner rolls was problematic. This past year we solved that problem by totting in a two burner propane stove and oven combo. Needless to say I was beside myself with giddy anticipation with regard to the gastronomical possibilities this allowed.

And if I say so myself I think I out did myself this year. No recipes with this post but here are the culinary highlights. And remember this was all done on either the wood stove or in the propane oven.

Some Dinner Highlights

Baked lobster tails with drawn butter (if you don't know how to fillet a lobster tail go to You Tube, there's plenty of videos and it's easier than you think.)
Sirloin strip steak (pepper encrusted)
Garlic whipped mashed potatos
Fresh asparagus (cooked in EVOO with plenty of fresh garlic, my favorite way)
Lemon and butter shrimp skewers
Venison stew

Breakfast Highlights

Quiche Lorain (Yes, you read it hear first. I made two quiches for breakfast and they came out great.) I paired the quiches with oven baked stuffed tomatoes, croissants and fresh melon. Big Heathen points here. I also brought some of my home brew along and I have to tell you, my Sweet Ass Stout turned out to be a good breakfast beer.

Lunches I tend to keep pretty basic. Soup and deli sandwiches mostly. Although one year I made panini's and figured out how to make a panini press out of a ribbed cast iron griddle. A back country triumph in American ingenuity if you ask me.

So, when we're not eating all of this good fare what else are we doing you might ask. Ah, we drink, smoke cigars, read and tell lies. Not necessarily in that order and sometimes we do multiple things at the same time.

The drink....we brought along our usual selection of fine brews and Heathens are encouraged to bring their favorite(s) as well. One of the items that was brought by a fellow Heathen, Moose to be exact was a bottle of rum the likes of which I never tasted. This bottle of rum deserves special mention, Thomas Tew rum brewed as a single pot in a small distillery in Rhode Island. This rum is brewed from molasses instead of sugar cane and all I can say is Wow, this is the finest sipping rum I have ever had. There's a good back story behind the recipe so when you get time, do a search and visit their site. And no, I have no affiliation, I'm just a fan passing along some of the finer points......

Last thing and I think I'm done, cigars. The usual cast of characters made an appearance this year. We had Rocky Patels, always a perennial favorite, some Las Floras, Romeo and Julieta's and  I tried a new cigar, NUBS. They might look funny but they're a good smoke and if you haven't tried one yet I recommend you do.

That about covers all the family printable details of our annual gathering of the Heathens. If you've never escaped to a rustic cabin in the middle of nowhere you should, it's good for the soul. And remember just because you're in the back country that's no reason to be a Heathen.