Paella
This “delicious year-round” meal is a great option when serving a crowd. Nestled in that delicious, crunchy on the bottom rice is chicken, sausage, shrimp, mussels, but any combination that you enjoy works here. Saffron is definitely a splurge, but just a little bit, goes a long way. Open up a crisp white wine, sit outside and enjoy!
Tips:
Get a head start on the dish by browning all the chicken and sausage earlier in the day. Leave the pot on the stove, but refrigerate the meat until you are ready to finish the dish. Just pick up at step 3 and continue cooking.
Control the amount of spice you like with the type of combination of sausage you use. Chorizo can be spicy, so use a sweet Italian sausage if you don’t want heat.
Reheat leftovers in a frying pan with a little bit of oil in the pan. Allow the soft rice to develop a crust and the dish is just as good the next day. Avoid overcooking the seafood, adding them towards the end of cooking to just warm through.
Lobster tails and clams would be a delicious addition to the dish.
The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat.
Paella
Recipe inspired by Food Network
Serves 6-8
PREP 15 minutes
COOK 35-40 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Chicken:
1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika
2 teaspoons fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon of dried
6 boneless chicken thighs, cut into pieces
Paella:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 Spanish chorizo sausages, thickly sliced (or whatever you like)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Spanish onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, reserve some for garnish
1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
4 cups short grain Spanish rice
6 cups water, warm
Generous pinch saffron threads
2 dozen PEI mussels, scrubbed
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed
Lemon wedges, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine the paprika and oregano in a small bowl. Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve.
In the same pan, make a sofrito by sautéing the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld.
Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid.
Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the mussels and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it's perfect.
Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.