Paella for 6-8

Ingredients

Broth – Make this first in a separate pan

 Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth

40 strands saffron

½ cup white wine

 1. In a stock pot, make 4 cups of broth – I use chicken broth or stock.

 2. In a small sauté pan, toast the saffron over low heat until they release their aroma.  Add the white wine and simmer for 2 minutes.  Add this to the broth and heat over low heat until you use it.

 Paella:

 Ingredients – Keep in mind this is not absolute; you can use any number of different meats and veggies…

2 cups Bomba rice from Spain.  Arboreo will work, but I prefer Bomba.

Olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

12-16 chicken wing drummies (8 wings cut in half – tips discarded.  2 drummies per person)

½ lb mushrooms

½ lb. soft chorizo

7 tsp. sweet or semi-sweet Spanish Paprika

1 tsp red pepper

1 habenero pepper – chopped

2 cerrano peppers (or chili peppers) – chopped

1 linguica – sliced

8 cloves garlic

½ large onion - chopped

1 large can kidney beans

1 large can white beans

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 jar smoked pequillo peppers (if available)

1 yellow bell pepper cut into strips

1 orange bell pepper cut into strips

1 cup peas or green beans (frozen peas work – not traditional, but they work)

1 lb seafood  - can use shrimp, mussels, calamari etc.

Instructions

 Directions:

 Heat pan over medium heat.  Add olive oil and chicken.  Cook until chicken is golden, and juice runs clear. 

Add chorizo, and cook until heated

Add linguica and cook until heated

Add garlic, onions, and mushrooms until onions are translucent

Add rice – stir until coated in oil, and lightly brown the rice

Add diced tomatoes

Add pequillo peppers

Add broth and stir

Add habenero and cerrano peppers

Add the kidney and white beans

Add paprika and red pepper

Add the bell peppers and peas or beans

Stir one more time;  Paella is never stirred for the second half of the cooking time.

Set the heat to medium low. As the rice absorbs the broth, it will fill the pan, and vents of steam will be evident.  Add the seafood on top while the rice is still moist, it only requires about 15 minutes of cooking time – you can cover the pan to heat the seafood. When the rice is no longer moist, and the vents stop bubbling, the paella is almost done.  Pay close attention to the smells coming from the pan.  The rice on the bottom of the pan will begin to carmelize (this is called the socarrat). It will be slightly sweet-smelling, and once it begins to smell slightly acrid (as in burning just past carmelization), it is time to get the pan off the heat.

 A good Pinot Noir or Grenache is perfect with paella, and a dry rose works well too. Because of the spice, a white wine such as Albarino will likely be overwhelmed by the flavors in the paella.