Paella
Paella is one of my favorite dishes to cook. It's absolutely delicious and great for parties. As a fair warning, my recipe is by no means authentic or traditional. This recipe uses chicken and shrimp, but it's pretty versatile and works just as well with other seafood.
Active Time: 45 min
Total Time: 1 hr
Ingredients
> rice (ideally bomba or calasparra, but most short-grained rice is fine)
> chicken thigh
> shrimp (ideally with head and shell)
> onion, garlic, peas
> lemon, parsley
> olive oil, white wine, chicken stock, tomato paste
> salt, pepper, paprika, saffron
Instructions
1. Prep: Gently heat chicken stock in a saucepot, dice onion, finely chop garlic, juice half a lemon, peel/devein and season shrimp, halve and season chicken thighs.
2. Place a paella pan (or a large, flat pan) onto the stove on high heat. Add olive oil, and sear both sides of the chicken thighs until nicely browned, about 6-10 minutes total. Set aside chicken.
3. Cook the shrimp in the oil until partially cooked through, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside shrimp.
3. Turn heat down to medium. Add diced onion and cook until translucent. Add chopped garlic, and cook for a few minutes.
4. Turn heat up to high. Add rice to pan, and ensure each grain of rice is coated with oil.
5. (Optional) Add some white wine, and cook off the alcohol.
6. Return chicken to pan, along with any accumulated juices. Add a large spoonful of tomato paste, along with pepper and paprika. Stir well. Add all of the chicken stock, along with the saffron, to the pan.
7. Cook on medium-high heat until stock is almost completely absorbed. At this point, place the shrimp into the rice.
8. Add peas, and a (optionally) a sprig of rosemary on top. Drizzle over some olive oil if desired. Cook on high heat for a few minutes. Then turn off heat and cover for about 5 minutes.
9. Serve with lemon wedges and chopped parsley on the side.
Notes/Tips:
> Can't find saffron? Trader Joe's has a small container (0.7g) of saffron for $6, which should be more than enough for one portion. Saffron is the spice which really gives paella its characteristic yellow color and amazing taste.
> Put the shrimp shells and heads into the chicken stock when heating it. This imparts an amazing shrimp flavor into the stock. Feel free to also add a few leftover lemon rinds. Just make sure to remove them before adding the stock to the rice.
> Don't skimp out on the olive oil! You'll need a lot, probably upwards of 1/3 cup or so.
> A good ratio of stock to rice is around 3:1; adjust accordingly.
> Once the chicken stock goes in, do not touch the rice. This will help develop the crispy bottom on the rice.
> I didn't list any specific measurements for this recipe. The amount will depend largely on the size and depth of your pan, so adjust accordingly.