A Tasty Paella Recipe
ADVICE FOR THE FOODLORN
by Tom Steele
I’d like to try to make paella, but it always seems like it’s very complicated. Is it? And do you have a favorite recipe?
Jennifer Holzmar, Brooklyn
The origins of paella probably involve an undoubtedly inebriated Spaniard pouring wine and stock into a pan of short-grained rice set on a low fire, so how difficult can it really be? As a matter of fact, it’s my “go-to” recipe for company, because so much of the time the paella is unattended while it cooks.
There are several important factors: Paella is really about the rice. But in the same way that Americans make pasta about the other ingredients and sauce instead of focusing on the pasta (the way Italians do), we are accustomed to making and dining on paella in this country with fish, shellfish, chicken, olives, sausage, and anything else that’s lying around the kitchen. In most of Spain, paella really is about the rice, with ONE protein ingredient, most often seafood. But when they see Americans coming, many Spanish cooks throw in all the rest.
That said, there are three vital ingredients to any paella that I’ve made or enjoyed: short-grain rice (I like Bomba brand); Spanish chorizo (the only legal brand in the U.S. is Palacios, and it’s available hot or sweet in most high-end gourmet food stores and some supermarkets); and good saffron (the most expensive spice in the world, but a tiny amount goes a long, long way). All of these and much more, including paella pans, are available from www.latienda.com at fairly reasonable prices. You don’t absolutely have to have a paella pan, but I think you’ll like the results so much that you’ll be making paella fairly often, so it’s a good investment. I like the flavor imparted by traditional steel pans, but you can go with stainless steel if you wish—they’re easier to care for.
Chicken Paella with Spanish Chorizo
Have your butcher hack the chicken into bite-sized pieces, bone-in.
3 to 3 1/2 pounds chicken legs and thighs, cut into 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces,
as for Chicken Scarpariella
Marinade:
1/4 cup tablespoons dry fino sherry, or dry white wine
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons minced parsley
4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons sweet Spanish (smoked) paprika
Kosher salt to taste
4 cups low salt chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon crumbled thread saffron
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 9.5-ounce Spanish hot or sweet dried chorizo (Palacios),
sliced into 1/4-inch coins
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably Muir Glen, with some of their juices
2 cups Spanish short-grain rice, preferably Valencia or Arroz Bomba
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a glass measure. Place the chicken pieces in a sealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, turning the bag once.
Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Sprinkle the chicken lightly with salt and pepper.
Pour a cup of the broth into the marinade bag, and transfer that mixture into a 1-quart glass measure. Add the remaining 3 cups of broth. Sprinkle the crumbled saffron over the broth and bring to a boil in a microwave oven, 5-10 minutes, depending on the oven’s wattage. Keep the mixture hot.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees (gas) or 450 (electric). Heat the oil in a 15-inch paella pan (or large ovenproof skillet) over medium-high heat. Sauté the chicken, turning once, about 5 minutes total (it should not be fully cooked). Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm. Scatter the chorizo in the pan and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the onion, peppers, and bay leaf to the pan and sauté until the vegetables are slightly softened. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the rice and stir to coat well. Pour in all the hot broth and bring to a boil. Continue boiling, stirring and rotating the pan occasionally, until the mixture is no longer soupy but sufficient liquid remains to continue cooking the rice, about 4 minutes.
Discard all bay leaves and arrange the chicken pieces over the rice. Transfer to the oven and cook, uncovered, until the rice is almost al dente, 10-13 minutes in a gas oven, 15-20 in an electric oven. Remove the pan from the oven, cover it with a lid or heavy-duty foil, and let the paella sit 5-10 minutes, until the rice is cooked to taste. It should be nice and chewy.
Yield: 4 ample servings
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