Paella with Pasta (Fideuá)

Don’t even ask me to pronounce that word.

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Fedora? Fidoola? Fiddler on the roof? I don’t even . . .

But could we take half a nano to talk about how super cute that spaghetti is all crispy and sticking up?

We can? Oh, okay.

That spaghetti is super cute all crispy and sticking up, huh?

That was the best conversation.

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When it comes to starches, Aaron and I are on opposite ends of the spectrum (or, the STARCHTRUM? don’t flick me.) He loves loves loves loves loves rice. And I love love love love love pasta. He always craves a stir fry. I always crave noodles. He enjoys the sweetness and slight nuttiness that comes from rice, and he doesn’t get as full eating it.

I think his face is pure nuttiness and I don’t even get full eating it.

IT MADE SENSE IN MY HEAD.

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This? This is the solution to a happy marriage. It’s paella  . . . WITH PASTA. Whaaaaaaaa.

I’d never even HEARD of such wonderment until we saw it on America’s Test Kitchen a couple of weekends ago and I nearly fell out of my britches with excitement.

Me, “Aaron! They’re using pasta in place of rice, ha haaaaaaaa.”

Him, “I know. I’m sitting right here watching it, with you.”

Me, “Pasta instead of riiiii-hiiiice. Pasta instead of riiiii-hiiiice. In yo’ face!”

Him, “It’s not that big of a deal, Bev. I bet it’s really good actually.”

Me, “Oh I know it’s good. IT’S PAELLA  . . . WITH PASTA.”

Him, “Is that a brown recluse on the wall behind your head?”

Bev’s funeral was lovely.

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I barely barely barely touched the recipe, folks.

I made the shrimp stock, broke the spaghetti, toasted the spaghetti, made the sofrito, nestled the shrimp, and broiled that sum-bia and watched that s’getti stick straight dang up.

And it was good. It was really, really good. With fresh lemon on top, are you even kidding?

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Don’t forget to wear the fedora!

Paella with Pasta (Fideuá):

(sliiiiiightly tweaked from Cooks Illustrated)

What it took for 4:

* 1 pound extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined (save the shells!)
* 2 3/4 cup water
* 1 cup chicken broth or stock
* 1 dried bay leaf
* 3 Tbs. plus 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
* 3 cloves garlic, divided (two minced and one sliced)
* 1 small pinch crushed red pepper
* 1 pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
* 8 ounces thin spaghetti
* 1 small white onion, finely diced
* 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
* 1 tsp paprika
* 1 tsp smoked paprika
* 1 tsp anchovy paste
* 1/4 cup dry white wine
* fresh parsley, for garnish
* lime wedges, for garnish

Place the peeled shrimp in a medium bowl. Add 1 Tbs. oil, the minced garlic, crushed red pepper and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss shrimp to coat. Cover and set in fridge while you prepare the rest of the meal.

Place the shrimp sells in another microwave-safe bowl. Add the water, stock and bay leaf. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 6 minutes. Pour the stock through a strainer into a bowl and discard the solids. You have shrimp stock!

Wrap the spaghetti in a clean tea towel. Fold the towel to close, and break the spaghetti against the edge of a table into 2 to 3-inch pieces.

Add 2 tsp oil to a large skillet and bring to a medium heat. Add the broken spaghetti and toast until it’s darker in color. Like peanut butter almost. I burned a few pieces of mine, so keep an eye on it! It will take 5 to 8 minutes in all. Just keep tossing in the pan so it evenly toasts.

Remove the spaghetti from the pan and set it aside in a bowl. Wipe the skillet clean.

Take the can of the tomatoes and drain the liquid through a mesh strainer. Really really drain it. Now finely dice the tomatoes on a cutting board.

Add the remaining 2 Tbs. oil to the pan and bring to a medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until they start to soften, 4 minutes. Add a pinch of salt.

Add the tomatoes to the onions and sauté another 3 minutes. Add both paprikas, the anchovy paste and the remaining sliced garlic. Reduce the heat if needed.

Add the toasted spaghetti to the pan and toss to coat. Pour the strained shrimp stock into the pan. Add the wine, and another pinch of salt and pepper. Simmer the mixture for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the spaghetti is mostly al dente.

Grab your marinated shrimp and nestle them into the pan.

In the meantime, preheat your oven to broil.

Slide the broiler-safe pan into the oven and broil for about 5 minutes, or until the shrimp is cooked through and the spaghetti crisps and curls up on its ends.

Allow to cool just a few minutes, for some last minute thickening.

Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges!

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I mean my Lord, it’s paella . . . WITH  PASTA.

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32 Responses to Paella with Pasta (Fideuá)

  1. Brian @ A Thought For Food May 20, 2013 at 6:38 am #
    You know you crack me up every time, but I totally LOLed at that conversation. Oh, yeah, and I go for pasta every time. Every. Freakin. Time. Eric's all into rice though so sometimes I have to please him and give up my favorite food in the world.
  2. Tieghan May 20, 2013 at 7:00 am #
    Seriously? You guys are too cute ans so is this Paella!!
  3. Laurie {SimplyScratch} May 20, 2013 at 7:11 am #
    HAHA "and broiled that sum-bia" love it!!!! Such a fun dish Bev!
  4. DessertForTwo May 20, 2013 at 7:15 am #
    Fiddler on the roof is definitely the correct pronunciation. You're welcome.
  5. Kevin (Closet Cooking) May 20, 2013 at 7:44 am #
    What a tasty way to enjoy shrimp!
  6. Ali | Gimme Some Oven May 20, 2013 at 8:01 am #
    I am slightly obsessed with paella. Love this version! Gorgeous pics, Bev!
  7. Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough May 20, 2013 at 8:27 am #
    By the beard of Zeus, this looks AMAZING.
  8. dishing up the dirt May 20, 2013 at 8:41 am #
    I love paella and this looks absolutely delicious!
  9. Carly @ Snack Therapy May 20, 2013 at 8:47 am #
    Pasta wins, always. Because anything you can do with rice, you can do with pasta (case in point, this recipe). But you can't make spaghetti and meatballs or pad thai with rice. Just no.
  10. Cookbook Queen May 20, 2013 at 9:10 am #
    I love it when you nestle shrimp. Best ever!!
  11. Sheila May 20, 2013 at 9:26 am #
    looks yummo!
  12. Julia {The Roasted Root} May 20, 2013 at 9:45 am #
    OH the deliciousness! Glad you discovered paella plus pasta - sheer brilliance if you ask me!
  13. Heather May 20, 2013 at 10:03 am #
    OK let's talk about how I'm all terrified that we are going to run into a brown recluse and I won't even know what it is and then get a terrible scar on my skin from the inevitable bite (if I survive) and then life will be over forever. OY. But this dish sounds like heaven. GIMME!
  14. Marie @ Little Kitchie May 20, 2013 at 10:44 am #
    I made paella with farro the other day and it was delish... but PASTA? This is my dream come true!
  15. Jenny May 20, 2013 at 12:39 pm #
    I love rice, I love pasta, so I can't go wrong with either way I cook it, and I will be cooking it. Looks delicious.
  16. dixya@food, pleasure, and health May 20, 2013 at 1:18 pm #
    you are hilarioussss - i love pasta, rice, anything carb. I see myself eating a whole pan alone!
  17. Cassie | Bake Your Day May 20, 2013 at 5:11 pm #
    That spaghetti is super cute and I'm seriously in love with this whole dish.
  18. Stephie @ eat your heart out May 20, 2013 at 10:04 pm #
    I studied abroad in Madrid when I was in college, so I luuuuuuurve me some paella. And paella con fidellos (feee-deh-ohs...that's the not weirdo basque-y way to spell and say it) is just awwwwwesome. Gahhh I love Spanish food.
  19. Tracy | Peanut Butter And Onion May 21, 2013 at 6:26 am #
    This looks so yummy, I've never heard of it... new taste adventure
  20. Maria May 22, 2013 at 2:57 am #
    Hello, I'm spanish, I'm actually from Valencia, province where the paella and fideua come from and this, this is bullshit...
  21. Heather @ Barefoot Crafts May 22, 2013 at 10:21 am #
    This looks delicious!
  22. Nutmeg Nanny May 24, 2013 at 11:00 am #
    Wow! This just looks so delicious, I am having a major craving for this right now ;)
  23. mark August 18, 2013 at 11:27 pm #
    I assume the extra large shrimp is 21-25 per pound. What about about the aioli?
    • Bev Weidner August 19, 2013 at 7:22 am #
      You're correct! Not the jumbo shrimp, but the 21-25. Ya know, I skipped the aioli this time because I was running out of steam, but try it and let me know how good it is!
  24. Margo December 5, 2013 at 11:25 pm #
    I hate it when a "printer friendly version" take 8 pages. Printer friendly should be just the recipe.
    • Bev Weidner December 6, 2013 at 7:38 am #
      I agree! When you clicked it, did it ask you a specific section to print? It's supposed to do that. You don't have to print all the photos. I'm gonna check on it!
      • neal February 14, 2014 at 10:35 pm #
        Oops I used too many noodles. They sure went all over the stove. It was a good dish though. I used a lb. of dungeness crab. It had gotten thawed and refrozen, so, technically, No, 2 crab. Whatever.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. It’s Wonderful | Dancing Veggies - November 19, 2013 […] to go with that similar yet slightly less well know (at least to me) dish known as Fideua.  Many sites refer to this as “pasta paella” instead of rice, which made the Italian in me very […]
  2. 15 Unforgettable (Spanish) Paellas - March 1, 2014 […] Recipe & Photo credit to bevcooks.com […]
  3. TUDO GOSTOSO- RECEITAS VARIADAS DE PAELLA! | TUDO GOSTOSO - March 1, 2014 […] Receita e Foto de  bevcooks.com […]
  4. Valle Andino Reserva Especial Syrah 2012 | FOR THE LOVE OF WINE! - February 16, 2015 […] https://bevcooks.com/2013/05/paella-with-pasta-fideua/ […]
  5. VALENCIA | NOBRE - January 15, 2016 […] Fideuà: It was originally a humble fisherman’s dish.Fideuà is similar to paella, and is usually cooked in the same kind of pan, but instead of rice it’s made with very short, thin, straight noodles. Recipe here […]

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