Rich G
TVWBB Honor Circle
Three years ago, I made my first paella, and I can't believe that I hadn't made another one......until last night! It really is a pretty simple dish to make, is a great centerpiece on the table, and is tailor made for cooking over charcoal!
I decided on a paella "mixta" this time with chicken, chorizo and shrimp. It's not authentic, but since I didn't expect that any Spanish paella masters were going to show up last night to cite me for improper paella procedure, I chanced it!
The process is pretty simple....... Fire up a chimney full of Kingsford, and, when ashed, over, spread in a single layer that is just smaller than the circumference of your paella pan (mine is 18".) Place the pan on the grill grate, add olive oil, and, when hot add the chicken (bone-in thighs in my case), turning to brown all over....5-7 minutes or so. Add green beans and butter (or lima) beans, and sauté those for a few minutes. Remove thighs to free up some more space in the pan, and add onion/garlic and sauté until they soften a bit. Add grated tomato and paprika, and cook until most of the liquid from the tomato is reduced. Add rice and stir to coat with oil and to combine with the other ingredients. Add the broth that you have simmering on the stove with some saffron, nestle the chicken into the rice/pan and let it come up to a boil/simmer. I added the shrimp when most of the liquid was absorbed, just nestling them into the rice and flipping them after about three minutes.
I love using the kettle for this cook, as the fire follow the course of the preparation really well. Nice and hot during the sauté phase, hot enough to bring the broth up to a boil, and then as it dies down, it keeps the rice simmering nicely until it's done. My vents were full open, lid off, and no additional charcoal needed.
Ok, enough chatter, here's a couple of pics!
Just after adding broth and back to a boil/simmer:
All done:
My ingredient list for 6 people:
2 cups Bomba rice
6 cups stock/water
30 threads of saffron
6 chicken thighs, skinless
2-3 chorizo links
12 shrimp/prawns
1 can butter or lima beans
1 cup green beans
6 cloves garlic
1 white onion, grated
1 tomato, grated
3 tsp paprika, sweet Spanish
Salt to taste
I decided on a paella "mixta" this time with chicken, chorizo and shrimp. It's not authentic, but since I didn't expect that any Spanish paella masters were going to show up last night to cite me for improper paella procedure, I chanced it!
The process is pretty simple....... Fire up a chimney full of Kingsford, and, when ashed, over, spread in a single layer that is just smaller than the circumference of your paella pan (mine is 18".) Place the pan on the grill grate, add olive oil, and, when hot add the chicken (bone-in thighs in my case), turning to brown all over....5-7 minutes or so. Add green beans and butter (or lima) beans, and sauté those for a few minutes. Remove thighs to free up some more space in the pan, and add onion/garlic and sauté until they soften a bit. Add grated tomato and paprika, and cook until most of the liquid from the tomato is reduced. Add rice and stir to coat with oil and to combine with the other ingredients. Add the broth that you have simmering on the stove with some saffron, nestle the chicken into the rice/pan and let it come up to a boil/simmer. I added the shrimp when most of the liquid was absorbed, just nestling them into the rice and flipping them after about three minutes.I love using the kettle for this cook, as the fire follow the course of the preparation really well. Nice and hot during the sauté phase, hot enough to bring the broth up to a boil, and then as it dies down, it keeps the rice simmering nicely until it's done. My vents were full open, lid off, and no additional charcoal needed.
Ok, enough chatter, here's a couple of pics!
Just after adding broth and back to a boil/simmer:
All done:
My ingredient list for 6 people:
2 cups Bomba rice
6 cups stock/water
30 threads of saffron
6 chicken thighs, skinless
2-3 chorizo links
12 shrimp/prawns
1 can butter or lima beans
1 cup green beans
6 cloves garlic
1 white onion, grated
1 tomato, grated
3 tsp paprika, sweet Spanish
Salt to taste
