Ultimate Paella

Paella is a traditional Spanish dish from Valencia that consists of rice, peas, saffron, paprika, olive oil and chicken along with seafood such as shrimp,, mussels, clams, squid, etc.  The base of any good paella, or just about anything else :), is sofrito, a blend of garlic, onion and tomato, sautéed in olive oil. The really good thing about paella is that it is a naturally a healthy dish…even with the Chorizo, as often as you will make this dish, it’s ok. Paella is warming, delicious Spanish comfort food at its best, enjoy!

Total Time: 2 hr 30 min

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 1 whole chicken, about 3-4 pounds, skinned and cut into pieces (wings, thighs, breasts, etc)
• 1 dozen Littleneck clams, scrubbed
• 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• ½ pound baby squid
• 2 Spanish or Argentine chorizo sausages, thickly sliced
• 4 cups short grain brown rice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Spanish onion, diced
• 8 garlic cloves, crushed and rough chopped
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1-15 ounce can no salt whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
• Himalayan sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 6 cups warm water
• Generous pinch of saffron threads
• 1 cup sweet peas (can use defrosted frozen peas or canned with no added salt. If you use canned, rinse them first)
• Lemon wedges, for garnish
• Handful of fresh parsley, chopped (reserve 4 sprigs for plate garnish)

Equipment:

• Paella pan or large, wide and shallow skillet

Directions

·         Season the chicken with the paprika, oregano, salt and pepper and let sit, covered, for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

·         Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat.

·         Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve but keep the oil in the pan.

·         Add chicken and brown on all sides.

·         Add salt and freshly ground pepper.

·         When browned fully, remove the chicken from pan and reserve.

·         Sauté the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat.

·         Add tomatoes and cook down until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld to complete the sofrito.

·         Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains and toast a bit – 3 minutes.

·         Add the water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid.

·         Return the chicken and chorizo and add the saffron, stirring to incorporate.

·         Add the clams, mussels, squid and shrimp, folding them into the rice. (The shrimp will take about 6-7 minutes to cook through. The clams and mussels are done when they open) 

**DISCARD ANY CLAMS OR MUSSELS THAT DO NOT OPEN!

·         Give the pan a good shake and let the paella simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente - 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. The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat.This means toasted, not burnt!

Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Stir in peas and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.