Cheesy Menudo Paella

Ingredients:

Rice and Stock:
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole red onion, minced
2 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
1 piece bay leaf
1 liter chicken stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ kilo uncooked rice

Sofrito:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole red onion, minced
2 whole tomatoes, minced
½ piece red bell pepper, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil

Meat and Vegetable Toppings:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 kilo pork tenderloin, cut into cubes
1/4 kilo pork liver, cut into cubes
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 pieces calamansi, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
½ piece red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 can green peas, drained
1 bar quickmelt cheese, grated

Procedure:

Stock:
1. Heat oil in a pot, and then saute onion and garlic and bay leaf until aromatic. Add in the tomato paste and roast for about 5 minutes before adding the chicken stock. Let simmer for about 15 minutes to develop the flavor before taking out of the heat to set aside.

Paella:
1. In a bowl, pour in chopped liver and marinade in soy sauce and calamansi.
2. Take the paellera and place on medium heat. Pour in olive oil and then when pan is hot add in the pork tenderloin and sear until brown. Nudge the meat on the sides and create a hole in the circle and pour in the liver with the marinade in the middle.
3. Sear for about 5 minutes before sautéing it on the pan (to prevent the liver from disintegrating)
4. Add in the bell pepper strips and the green peas and saute for 2- 3 minutes before taking out of the pan. Set aside.
5. Using the same paellera, pour in the olive oil and then saute the minced garlic, red onions, tomatoes and red bell peppers for the sofrito and let cook on low heat until all the vegetables are tender and can be mashed.
6. Add in the rice and toast the rice until the grains start to turn white.
7. Pour in the stock that was premade earlier, making sure to even out the rice in the pan for even cooking. Make sure to only stir occasionally so the rice does not break down while cooking.
8. Once the stock has reduced and the rice is halfway cooked, add in the grated cheese and the meat and vegetable toppings that was premade awhile ago.
9. Cover the paellera with foil and continue cooking for about 8 – 10 minutes until the paella crust is formed underneath.