Easy Paella – one of those dishes that carries an entire landscape, a whole rhythm of life, inside the pan. If you love the cultural heartbeat behind food, you’ll appreciate this easy paella. It perfectly exemplifies how a dish becomes a story.
Paella & Public Policy: Cooking with Lafayette Crump. City of Milwaukee Commissioner of City Development, Lafayette Crump, joins host Charlie.
They discuss his journey from Milwaukee neighborhoods to Duke University and the Mayor’s Cabinet. They also explore his work leading city development and housing initiatives. His approach to public-private partnership for community impact is also covered.
The episode also features lighthearted moments—karaoke memories—and a step-by-step, easy paella recipe. Lafayette cooks on the show, blending Spanish chorizo, shrimp, Arborio rice, and saffron into this easy recipe.
You can also listen to the podcast audio version of this interview and cooking episode –
What Paella Is
At its core, paella is a traditional Valencian rice dish cooked in a wide, shallow pan known as a paellera. The name “paella” actually comes from the pan itself. The dish is built around short-grain rice, saffron, olive oil, and whatever the land or sea has to offer.
Where does Paella come from?
Paella originated in the rice‑growing region around Valencia, especially near the Albufera lagoon. Historically, it was a rural, communal meal. Farm workers cooked rice with whatever they had on hand: rabbit, chicken, snails, beans, and vegetables. Over time, it evolved into a symbol of Valencian identity and one of Spain’s most recognized dishes worldwide.
🍤 The Main Styles of Paella
Here are the three major forms you’ll hear about:
- paella valenciana — the “original,” with chicken, rabbit, sometimes duck or snails, plus beans and saffron
- paella de marisco — seafood‑focused, often with shrimp, mussels, squid, clams
- paella mixta — a modern hybrid mixing land and sea ingredients
Valencians will tell you only the first one is the “real” version, but globally, all three have become beloved.
🔥 How It’s Traditionally Cooked
Traditionally, it is cooked over an open flame. This method ensures the rice cooks evenly. It forms the prized socarrat—the crispy, caramelized layer at the bottom. It’s meant to be eaten straight from the pan, communal‑style.
🌍 Why It Matters
Paella is more than a recipe; it’s a ritual of gathering. It’s tied to festivals, family Sundays, and community celebrations across Spain. It’s a dish that invites people to slow down, share, and savor.
Given your love for dishes that carry cultural meaning, paella is a beautiful example. It shows how food becomes a bridge between land, labor, and community.
Quick breakdown of traditional paella vs. easy paella,
🥘 Traditional Paella (Paella Valenciana)
Traditional recipe is all about ritual, technique, and regional identity. It’s not just a recipe — it’s a cultural contract.
What defines it (based on sources)
- short‑grain rice like bomba — never basmati or long‑grain
- No chorizo — Valencians are very serious about this
- specific proteins — chicken, rabbit, sometimes duck or snails
- sofrito cooked in olive oil — the aromatic base
- cooked in a wide paella pan over open flame — for even cooking and socarrat
- deeply tied to Valencia’s history — roots in 18th‑century rice fields
🍤 Easy Paella (Modern, Accessible Versions)
Easy paella is about flavor without ceremony. It is perfect for weeknights and small kitchens. It’s also ideal for anyone who doesn’t have a paellera or open flame.
What defines it?
- flexible ingredients — seafood mix, chicken thighs, or whatever is on hand
- simplified technique — stovetop cooking, one‑pan approach
- store‑bought broth or stock — instead of homemade fumet
- optional saffron — turmeric or paprika, sometimes used for color
- faster cooking time — 30–45 minutes instead of hours
Easy paella keeps the spirit but not the strict rules — more like a “paella‑inspired rice feast.”
🌟 Easy paella is like a weeknight potluck dish. It still carries the idea of Spain. But it lets you riff, remix, and adapt. These qualities fit your creative, community‑driven cooking energy beautifully.
Easy Paella – Quick & Tasty
Equipment
- 1 Large pan or Paella Pan with a lid
Materials
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz cooked smoked Spanish chorizo cut in 1/2-inch rounds
- 1 medium sweet onion cut into 1-inch wedges
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3/4 tsp paprika (sweet or smoked)
- 2 tsp coarse salt & black pepper
- pinch saffron threads
- 1.5 cups Arborio rice
- 3.5 cups chicken stock
- 1- pound medium shrimp peeled, deveined, no tails
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a 12 to 14-inch paella pan (or large stainless-steel skillet) over medium-high heat.
- When oil is hot, add in the chorizo and onion;
- sauté for about 3 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook until coated.
- Add in the paprika, salt, pepper, and saffron; stir to combine.
- Add in the rice and stir to coat completely.
- Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
- Gently flatten the rice with the back of a spatula
- Reduce heat to low, lightly simmer for 15 min, don’t stir
- Add in the shrimp and nestle them in the liquid; cook 10 more minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.
- Stir in the peas and warm through.
- Sprinkle parsley on top, serve and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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If you like this recipe, Easy Paella, you will also enjoy trying our other recipes. This is our recipe for Lamb Peka, a traditional dish from Croatia.
Cooking Secrets for Men in the News
We have been fortunate enough to get positive publicity for our website, YouTube channel, and Social Media presence. Here are a few examples:
Our series, Cooking with Milwaukee Community Leaders, is featured in the “Milwaukee Magazine” May 2023 edition, “Civic Gastronomy”. Click here to read the full article.
A few days later, they were discussing me on the radio. It is a local Foodie show, “This Bites” on Radio Milwaukee 88.9, featuring dining critic Ann Christenson from Milwaukee Magazine and Radio Milwaukee’s resident foodie, Tarik Moody. My series, Cooking with Milwaukee Community Leaders, is in the show’s first few minutes.
“Cooking Secrets for Men” is on the list of the Top 20 Men’s Cooking Websites on the Internet. You can read that article here. See where we rank for Men’s Cooking Websites.
Cooking Secrets for Men is now on the list of Milwaukee’s Top 50 Foodie Influencers on Instagram.
More Articles
We were featured in a Redfin article! Check it out here: Designing the Perfect Kitchen for Home Cooks.
Shepherd Express (Milwaukee) article on our Cooking with Milwaukee Community Leaders show – you can read that article here
Good Counsel HS (My Alma Mater) Magazine article about Cooking Secrets for Men – you can read that article here.
Meet Charlie DeSando – featured in the “Voyage Tampa” article, available to read here.
CanvasRebel Magazine Interview, available here.
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Very easy to make and quite delicious!