Paella

 

Spice Mix for Chicken, recipe to follow

8-9 Chicken Thighs

1/4 cup Olive Oil

5 Sausages, sliced (Johnson's)

1 Sweet Onion, sliced

4-5 Garlic Cloves, chopped

1 cup Fresh Parsley, chopped

1 30 oz can Tomatoes, crushed

4 cups Short Grain Rice

6 1/2 cups Water

Generous Pinch Saffron Threads

1 1/2 pounds Seafood Mix (shrimp, scallops, clams)

1 cup Frozen Peas, thawed out

1 Lemon, cut into wedges and grilled

Salt, Pepper, to taste

Chicken Spice Mix

1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika

1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence

1 tablespoon Kosher Salt

1 tablespoon Black Pepper

In a small bowl, mix all the spices together.  Generously rub all over the chicken.  Place chicken in a Zip Lock Bag.  Marinate in a refrigerator for 2-3 hours, or overnight.

Heat oil in a paella dish over medium-high heat.  Saute sausages until browned, remove and reserve.

Add chicken skin side down, brown on all the side for about 10 minutes.  Remove and reserve.

 In the same pan make a sofrito by sauteing the onion, garlic, and parsley for about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper.  Saute for another 5-7 minutes, until 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. Season with salt and pepper.  

 Add chicken, sausages, and saffron.  Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan, add the seafood mix.  Cover with foil and cook for about 5-7 minutes, until shrimp turns pink and clams open up.  Add the peas.  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.

Place grilled Lemon wedges over the top.

Serves 10-12.

* You can find paella pan in Bed Bath and Beyond for $20.  I used grill BBQ to make the paella.  You can control the temperature of the heat, which helps to achieve the perfect crispy bottom of the paella.

The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat.

I closely followed Tyler Florence recipe on this one, just making few adjustments to my dish.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/the-ultimate-paella-recipe/index.html

Ground Pork and Vegetable Rice

1 Cup Rice

One pound Ground Pork

1/2 medium size Red Onion

2 Carrots

2 Celery Sticks

1 Jalapeno

2 Garlic Cloves

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1/4 teaspoon 5 Spice Seasoning

Salt, Pepper, to taste

Cook rice according to directions on a package.

Preheat a skillet to medium-high heat, add the olive oil.  Add the ground pork, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, for medium size pieces.  Season with salt, pepper, and 5 spice.  Saute for 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop all the vegetables.  Add to the skillet.  Saute for another 7-8 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Serves 4

*Watching your calories?  Rice is optional...

Vanilla Bean Rice with Cranberries and Almonds

3/4 cup short grain Rice, like Arborio

3 cups 2% Milk

1 Vanilla Bean*

1 Cinnamon Stick

Pinch Fresh Nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/2 cup Dried Cranberries

1/2 cup Brown Sugar, lightly packed

1 teaspoon Orange Zest

1/3 cup toasted Almonds

In a sauce pan, add rice, milk, vanilla bean*, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and salt.  Bring it all to a boil, turn it down to low and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Stir frequently to prevent rice burning to the bottom of the pan.

Add cranberries, brown sugar, and orange zest.  Stir all together and let it simmer for another 10 minutes.

Top it with toasted almonds before serving.  Goes well with vanilla or coconut ice cream.

Serve 4-5

*Cut vanilla bean length wise and scrape the beans out with a butter knife.