Paella

 
I was in a store recently and saw a paella pan.  I’ve always wanted to try making it, and decided to take the plunge and give it a try.  I’m so glad I did!  I love how you can make it with so many additions, and it was really fun to serve the whole meal out of one big dish in the middle of the table.
If you do it correctly, you should have a crust on the bottom of pan where the rice gets a little crispy.  (Which is why I suspect the Paella pans are so big, so you don’t have to fight over that part.)
This dish may seem intimidating, but it really is quite easy, and very easy to adapt to your families tastes.  You can make it with seafood as well, and I think next time I will try adding shrimp too.  I added linguica to the recipe, which is a Spanish paprika sausage and we really liked the flavor it added.  You could also use green peas instead of green beans.
I used a 15 inch carbon steel paella pan, but if you don’t have a Paella pan I would use two saucepans and just do half in each pan.
 
PAELLA
Recipe adapted from Alton Brown
 
3 medium tomatoes
9 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups short or medium grain rice (I used Arborio)
20 threads saffron
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves stripped from stems
3 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 T olive oil
3 lbs bone-in, skin-on, chicken thighs and legs
1 cup sliced linguica sausage, optional
1/2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in half
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
 
Cut tomatoes in half and seed them over a fine mesh strainer (catching the juices in a bowl underneath.)
Grate the tomatoes, and discard the skins.
Combine grated tomatoes with juice and set aside.
Combine the rice, saffron, rosemary, 1 tsp of the salt, and paprika in a small bowl.
Get all your vegetables cut and ready at this point as well.
Warm the chicken broth in a kettle or pot over high heat.
 Turn off heat and cover to keep warm.
Heat olive oil in the paella pan over medium-high heat.
Season the chicken with remaining 2 tsp salt.
When the pan is very hot, add chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 5-6 minutes per side. 
Move chicken to outside of the pan and add the linguica, green beans, peppers, and garlic.
Cook about 3 minutes, until they begin to darken and soften.
Add the tomatoes with their juice and cook about 4-5 minutes, until mostl of the liquid has dissipated.
Add the rice to the center of the pan and stir constantly for 1 minute.
Move chicken on top of rice.
Add 4 cups of the chicken broth and make sure all the rice is completely covered.
Do not stir after this point.
After 8-9 minutes, the liquid should be absorbed and rice should appear dry.
Add 4 more cups chicken broth. Cook 8-9 more minutes.
Add remaining broth if needed until rice is cooked.  The rice should be a little firm still.
Remove pan from the heat and cover with a tea towel.  Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Serve in pan.
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Comments

  1. The Lowe Girl says

    I always knew you were gutsy! Very impressed with this dish and can't wait to give it a try…with the right pan or not…that is the question!