Paella Grande!!

Paella is a Spanish dish of saffron rice and shellfish….to me, it’s like the Chinese version of  House Fried Rice.  You have your shrimp, chicken, pork, scallops and even some lobster.  Then you can add some chorizo or hot italian sausage for spice.  Next you add vegies like red or orange peppers, green peas, carrots….whatever brings color to the dish.  The possibilities are endless.  And then there is the rice…either a short grain Spanish rice or an Aborio rice that you would use in a risotto.  Once all this is gathered, then there is the paella pan that it is all cooked in….and the results are awesome!!!  It may seem like a LOT of work, but if you are organized…and have everything all chopped & measured and ready to go…it’s a breeze!!!

Ingredients

• Spice Mix for chicken, recipe follows
• 1 (3-pound) frying chicken, (or I used 4 thighs and cut the bone out) and then cut into 10 pieces and covered in Spice Mix then refrigerated of 1 hr
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 Spanish chorizo sausages, or4  Hot Italian Sausage, something to add “spice”, thickly sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 Spanish onion, (or Red Bermuda onion) diced
• 1 red or orange or yellow pepper, thinly sliced (you choose the color!!)
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery stalks, 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
• 1.5 cups short grain Spanish rice or Arborio rice
• 4 cups chicken broth, warm
• Generous pinch saffron threads (and put into chicken broth and let simmer there)
• 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Now go and get EVERYTHING ….measure, chop &  put in dishes so that EVERYTHING is ready to go once you heat up that Paella pan with oil!!

Special equipment:

• Large paella pan or wide shallow skillet

Directions

1. Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and jumbo shrimp and marinate  for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
2. Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Saute the Chorizo or Hot Italian Sausage until browned, remove and put aside.
3. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and put aside.
4. Add the shrimp and cook 1 min on each side and remove from pan and put aside

In the same pan, add some veg oil (2 tbs) and the garlic…then start sauteing the onions, red pepper, carrot, celery, garlic, and parsley( I even added some asparagus that I chopped up) . 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 chicken broth with saffron and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, shrimp.  Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 40-45 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.

Cook’s note: The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat.

Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with the thawed peas, parsley and lemon wedges.

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 & shrimp & marinate for 1 hour, covered

This recipe can feed 8-9  people and takes about 1 hour to cook.

****Thank you Tyler Florence for your recipe*****

 

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Wild Rice with Mushrooms, Cranberries, & Candied Almonds

Cran-Orange-Almond Wild Rice

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 c- uncooked wild rice
• 4 cups water OR chicken broth…I prefer the chicken broth
• Pinch of salt
• 2 TBS of olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup ( 8oz) sliced mushrooms. (bella, cremini or button) already in package!
• ½ tsp ground sage
• ½ c dried cranberries
• ¼ c orange juice
• 1 TBS balsamic vinegar
• 1 TBS minced garlic (from jar is great!)
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 2-3 TBS orange zest (I liked at least 3)
• ½ c candies almonds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine rice, water or broth & salt into a rice cooker and turn it on!  How easy is that…no timer no nothing.  Or, if no rice cooker follow the directions on the pkg and cook approx. 50 mins.
2. In pan, add 1 TBS of oil and sauté onions until translucent…about 5 mins.  Then add mushrooms, sage and cranberries and cook until mushrooms are soft. About 5-7 mins.  Then put aside.
3. Combine the orange juice, balsamic vinegar, garlic, cayenne pepper and remaining oil in a bowl.   Whisk and add to mushroom mixture and cook on medium heat.  Once heated add the wild rice from the rice cooker to the pan, and stir through.  Add the orange zest to mixture then candied almonds and serve!!!!

***Thank you Tastebook.com for this recipe!! It is delicious!!!***