Friday, November 21, 2008

Paella!!!

I am having a tapas and paella party this Saturday and here is a simple recipe I will be using for the paella. I have made this several different ways, with different meats, seafood...so keep in mind that if you don't have some of these ingredients, just add whatever you want. "Paella" is Spanish for "Pan" and this dish was basically invented with a bunch leftovers! So have fun with it and enjoy! vivir para Comer (live to eat)!

2Lbs chicken thighs
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Spanish chorizo sausages, thickly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Spanish onion (or sweet 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 (or any short grain rice)
6 cups water, warm (or chicken stock if you'd like)
1 teaspoon saffron threads (about a pinch)
1 dozen clams, in shell
1 dozen mussels, in shell
1 LB jumbo prawns, peeled and de-veined
1/2 cup frozen peas
Lemon wedges on the side

Combine paprika, oregano, pinch of salt, pinch of pepper into bowl and rub chicken with mix.
Heat Oil in pan (if you have a Paella pan, great. If not, no biggie)over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until browned, set aside. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, saute the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes. Fold in the uncooked rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water of stock and simmer for 10 minutes, gently stirring so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the clams, mussels and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. Add frozen peas. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good stir and let it simmer, 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. The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called "socarrat".

The best way to serve this dish is in the pan with lemon wedges surrounding the outer rim. Garnish with some chopped parsley. Yum!

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