Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Paella

After browsing several recipes for several days I pulled together this recipe. It took apprx 2+ hours to prep and then prepare, but it was so tasty and pretty when it was done. I wish I'd taken a picture, but it was late damnit, and I was hungry!

Without further ado:

1 lb skinless chicken breast
Spice Mix for chicken, recipe follows
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 chorizo sausages, thickly sliced (my only option was keilbasa-esque looking packaged chorizo so I took it and I used it all)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Spanish/yellow onion, sliced thin
1 giant green pepper, thinly sliced
1 gaint red pepper, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, reserve some for garnish
1 giant tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 1/2 cups short grain rice like Bomba (which I couldnt find so I used well rinsed arborio/risotto instead)
4 cups chicken stock
Generous pinch saffron threads
1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 4oz pieces of Mahi-Mahi cut into halves
1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed
Lemon wedges, for serving

Spice Mix for chicken:
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken; marinate for 1 hour, covered

Special equipment:
Large paella pan or wide shallow skillet (Note: I used two pans in order to facilitate a seafood free batch, and lacking a proper paella pan I used a 6 qt saute pan, as well as an enameled cast iron dutch oven. The batch made in the saute pan came out much better.

Directions:

Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and let sit for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken, 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 sauteing 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 stock and add peppers and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. AVOID STIRRING. Stirring releases the starches in the rice and should be avoided if you want your paella to resemble and taste like paella and not risotto! Add chicken, chorizo, mahi mahi and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp and mahi 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. If your rice is hard and the stock has evaporated, add a little more. Repeat as needed. 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, covered with a clean dish towel. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.

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