Paella Negra

Black Paella never appealed to me because it looks dirty, not to mention it will make your mouth and teeth black during and after eating. I made a very small recipe after watching the Spanish chef José Andrés prepare and it sounded yummy. I was finally swayed. That's the power of television and YouTube. 


The rice dish is easy to make if you have seafood stock and salmorra, a smoky tomato puree and garlic sauce, already prepared beforehand. For the recipe you would need squid or cuttlefish ink, available from Spanish or Italian stores. I got mine from the online store La Tienda. 

Salmorra
The recipe widely available online uses the Spanish dried red pepper called ñora which I [being a cheapskate] think is terribly expensive because they are imported from Spain. I substituted the more readily available and cheap ancho chiles which are very mild, slightly sweet, and taste a bit like raisins. I'm not sure if there is a huge difference in flavor. Luckily, I was able to procure ñora seeds but will have to wait months until the plants yield fruits to air dry later in the year. 

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
12 cloves garlic, peeled
3ñora peppers, stems and seeds removed
16 ounces canned plum tomatoes, drained
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon pimentón (Spanish paprika)

• Heat olive oil over medium heat and add garlic. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add dried peppers and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add the rest of ingredients except pimentón. Lower heat and let simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Stir in pimentón. Let cool a few minutes; transfer into a blender and puree. Transfer into a jar, let cool completely, and keep in refrigerator until needed. This recipe makes about 2 cups.

Paella Negra

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

½ cup chopped onion

1 cup diced green bell pepper
½ cup diced "skinless" cuttlefish or squid
1 bayleaf
1 cup short grain rice
1 cup cuttlefish or seafood combination
3 cups seafood stock
2 - 3 tablespoons cuttlefish ink
3 tablespoons salmorra
sea salt, if needed

• Heat olive oil in a paella pan over medium heat. Add next 4 ingredients, stir fry for 2 minutes, lower heat, and cook for 15 minutes until green pepper is soft and slightly loses its color. Remove bay leaf and add rice. Stir fry for 3 minutes until rice is slightly toasted. Add the rest of ingredients except salt and let simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.