Paella bella

My tiredness from preparing and cooking today's lunch has dissipated after my grandchild Kai rated the paella I served a 9.5. Even the other picky eater, Rolly, was so pleased that he asked me to duplicate the dish on his 70th birthday early next month.

Daughter Kimi, who took the picture below, said I should issue a disclaimer saying that I was not responsible for the uneven cutting of the hard-boiled eggs. Kai was. Maybe that's why the dish's rating is point five short of perfect.

I owe the cooking knowledge for this particular paella to Des Bautista's wife Auring. Weeks ago she demonstrated how it was done and even gave me the Paellero seasoning (it's a brand) and saffron threads for the day when I would find the courage to inaugurate our paellera with this well-loved dish. The paellera had idly sat behind our oft-used pots and pans for years waiting for this day.

What went into this one-pot dish? Onions and garlic sauteed in olive oil, Chinese chorizo, bite-size pieces of chicken breast, green peas, green bell pepper and jasmine rice. I made sure there was also burnt rice (tutong) for Rolly to dig into.

Next time, if budget allows, we add prawns, mussels and squids for the truly decadent paella of his dreams. Rolly's message to Ernesto V Enrique: "Sayang hindi tayo magkapitbahay. Otherwise, you get half of this."