Paella


 

Keith Raines

New member
Sometimes you need a change of pace on the grill... /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif


Our Ultimate Paella
(an adaption of a Tyler Florence recipe)


Spice rub for chicken, recipe follows

1 (3-pound) frying chicken, cut into 10 pieces (we used 3 chicken breasts, cut up)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (more as needed if grilling the paella)
2 Spanish chorizo sausages, thickly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Spanish onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 orange, yellow or red bell pepper julienned
1-2 hot peppers chopped (Serrano)
Bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, reserve some for garnish
1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed (we used 2 large fresh tomatoes instead)
4 cups short grain Spanish rice
8-9 cups shrimp, chicken, or fish stock. If these are not available, use water.
A pinch of saffron
1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 lobster tails steamed for 10 minutes prior to adding to the Paella
1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed
Lemon wedges, for serving

Special equipment:
Large paella pan or wide shallow skillet

Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. We cook this over charcoal on the grill. Add a whole head of garlic with the top and most of the paper on the outside removed. The head of garlic will flavor the oil. Saut? the chorizo until browned; I removed the pan from the heat and rested it on the edge of the Kettle while browning; remove and reserve. Add more oil as needed. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, again with the pan on the edge of the kettle, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve. (We stored this in a warm, 300 degree, oven till needed.)

In the same pan, make a sofrito by saut?ing the peppers and then remove. Saut? the onions, garlic, and parsley. 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. Return the peppers to the pan. Pour in the broth or water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Once the liquid is added, do not stir again! Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 4-8 minutes to cook. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan, add the lobster tails and the peas. Add salt and pepper to taste. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, leave it on the grill 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 more parsley and lemon wedges.

Spice rub for chicken:
2 tablespoon sweet paprika
4 teaspoons dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken; marinate for 1 hour in a Ziploc bag.
 

 

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