There is nothing that I enjoy more than a backyard barbecue. Good food, cold beers, and hopefully dogs everywhere – eating foods that humans drop on the ground.
However, since we are approaching the end of summer, there are only a few weekends left for cookouts and barbecues. To celebrate the tail end of nice weather in northern Nevada, this week’s recipe happens to be my favorite thing to cook: paella.
I have cooked this dish at least 100 times, and after learning so much over the years, I am finally ready to share my recipe so you can recreate it for your next backyard function.
For this iconic Spanish dish that is designed to feed a crowd, we’ll start with a tomato and onion sofrito base and combine it with seared chicken thighs, Basque chorizo, shrimp, and mussels to make a beautiful paella mixto.
After experimenting with so many different types of rice, I have learned that Uncle Ben’s parboiled rice lends itself to the best results every time, so you can avoid any undercooked grains of rice.
I would highly recommend you go on Amazon and purchase an affordable paella pan and a propane burner for this recipe. However, if you must, this dish can be prepared over a grill or stove with a wide-rimmed pan that can handle high temperatures.
This recipe serves about six people and should be served with crusty bread and classic Caesar salad.
SOFRITO BASE
1 large yellow onion, small dice (about 2 cups)
5 Roma tomatoes, grated
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
PAELLA
1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 lb. Basque chorizo, sliced into rounds
1 lb. shrimp, deveined but not peeled
12–14 mussels
2 cups Uncle Ben’s parboiled white rice
5–6 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp. saffron
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 bulb garlic, top sliced off
1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
Kosher salt, to taste
1/2 cup frozen peas
Lemon wedges for serving
DIRECTIONS
- Make the sofrito. On medium heat, heat olive oil in a skillet with high sides. Once hot, add onions and cook for about 30–45 minutes. They should start to turn golden brown. Add grated tomatoes, salt, sugar, paprika, and bay leaf and cook for another 20 minutes until the oil begins to separate. Remove bay leaf and reserve sofrito for later.
- Bloom the saffron in the chicken stock. Roast the garlic bulb in foil at 400°F for about 25 minutes. Reserve the garlic bulb for later.
- Heat a paella pan or other carbon steel skillet over a burner, grill, or the stove over medium heat. Add a few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Once hot, sear the chicken thighs until browned. Remove chicken thighs from the heat and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Add in the Basque chorizo to the hot pan and sear until crispy. Reserve for later.
- Add the red pepper to the pan and cook for a minute or so. Add the reserved sofrito and cook for 2–3 minutes until well incorporated. Add in the smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder and toast for 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken stock with the infused saffron into the pan and heat to a simmer. Once simmering add the garlic bulb face down into the middle of the pan, along with the chicken thighs, Basque chorizo, rice, and a generous sprinkling of kosher salt. Stir briefly to combine.
- Allow the mixture to come to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or so until the rice starts to become tender. If it becomes a little dry, add more liquid to prevent the rice from burning on the bottom. Season to taste with kosher salt.
- Once the rice has started to become tender, arrange the mussels and shrimp on top of the rice. They are done when the shrimp have turned pink and the mussels have opened.
- Once the seafood is done, sprinkle the frozen peas over the paella, cover with foil or a towel, and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Once rested, mix up the paella with a large spoon and serve with lemon wedges.
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