Spanish paella is a summer staple in our house, and I love making it various ways. On a recent trip to Miami we had José Andres’ famous paella at his restaurant Bazaar and flipped because the texture of the rice was more delicate and “angel-hair like” than regular paella rice. I decided a pasta paella needed to be recreated at home! This is light and simple - perfect for summer. And best of all, sits out at room temperature beautifully and still tastes great!
Paella:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 large ripe tomatoes - chopped
1/2 yellow onion - chopped
4 large garlic cloves - chopped
1 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flake
1 pound angel hair pasta
Shrimp:
1 pound large shrimp - peeled, deveined
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Parsley, for serving
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat a pasta pot full of heavily salted water over high heat for the pasta. Heat a paella or large shallow pan over low heat for the sauce. To a food processor, add the olive oil, tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper flake. Combine together on high until smooth. Pour into the paella pan and cook for at least 10 minutes. Cut or tear the angel hair pasta into little rice pieces - should measure about 1/2 to 1 inch pieces and they don’t have to be perfect. When they’re all cut, boil for about 2 to 3 minutes or until al dente. Drain then add directly to the sauce. Stir together until combined then press down into the pan like traditional paella.
On a foil-lined baking sheet, toss together the shrimp, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes until just pink. Arrange shrimp over the paella and garnish with parsley and a heavy drizzle of olive oil.