America's Test Kitchen Paella
Serves 6
Published in: America's Test Kitchen
1 pounds extra-large shrimp (21/25) -- peeled and deveined
Table salt and ground black pepper
olive oil
8 medium cloves garlic -- minced or pressed through garlic press
(about 2 tablespoons)
1 pounds boneless -- skinless chicken thighs , each thigh trimmed of
excess fat and halved crosswise
1 red bell pepper -- seeded and cut pole to pole into 1/2-inch-wide strips
8 ounces Spanish chorizo -- sliced 1/2 inch thick on the bias (see note)
1 medium onion -- chopped fine (about 1 cup)
1 can diced tomatoes -- drained, minced, and drained again (14 1/2 ounces)
2 cup Valencia rice or Arborio
3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoons saffron threads -- crumbled
1 bay leaf
1 dozen mussels -- scrubbed and debearded
1/2 cup frozen green peas -- thawed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 lemon -- cut into wedges, for serving
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350
degrees. Toss shrimp, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1
tablespoon oil, and 1 teaspoon garlic in medium bowl; cover with
plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed. Season chicken thighs with
salt and pepper; set aside.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat
until shimmering but not smoking. Add peppers and cook, stirring
occasionally, until skin begins to blister and turn spotty black, 3
to 4 minutes. Transfer peppers to small plate and set aside.
Add 1 teaspoon oil to now-empty Dutch oven; heat oil until
shimmering but not smoking. Add chicken pieces in single layer; cook,
without moving pieces, until browned, about 3 minutes. Turn pieces
and brown on second side, about 3 minutes longer; transfer chicken to
medium bowl. Reduce heat to medium and add chorizo to pot; cook,
stirring frequently, until deeply browned and fat begins to render, 4
to 5 minutes. Transfer chorizo to bowl with chicken and set aside.
Add enough oil to fat in Dutch oven to equal 2 tablespoons; heat
over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add onion and
cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes; stir in
remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in
tomatoes; cook until mixture begins to darken and thicken slightly,
about 3 minutes. Stir in rice and cook until grains are well coated
with tomato mixture, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, wine,
saffron, bay, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Return chicken and chorizo to
pot, increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, uncovered,
stirring occasionally. Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until
rice absorbs almost all liquid, about 15 minutes. Remove pot from
oven (close oven door to retain heat). Uncover pot; scatter shrimp
over rice, insert mussels hinged side down into rice (so they stand
upright), arrange bell pepper strips in pinwheel pattern, and scatter
peas over top. Cover and return to oven; cook until shrimp are opaque
and mussels have opened, 10 to 12 minutes.
Optional: If soccarat (see note) is desired, set Dutch oven,
uncovered, over medium-high heat about 5 minutes, rotating pot 180
degrees after about 2 minutes for even browning.
Let paella stand, covered, about 5 minutes. Discard any mussels
that have not opened and bay leaf, if it can be easily removed.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve, passing lemon wedges separately.
If You're Using a Paella Pan
A paella pan makes for an attractive and impressive presentation. Use
one that is 14 to 15 inches in diameter. A 14-inch ovensafe skillet
will work as well, but do not attempt to use anything smaller because
the contents will simply not fit. Follow the recipe for Paella,
increasing the chicken broth to 3 1/4 cups and the wine to 1/2 cup.
Before placing the pan in the oven, cover it tightly with foil. For
soccarat, cook the paella, uncovered, over medium-high heat for about
3 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after about 1 1/2 minutes for
even browning.
Recipe Notes
his recipe is for making paella in a Dutch oven (the Dutch oven
should be 11 to 12 inches in diameter with at least a 6-quart
capacity). With minor modifications, it can also be made in a paella
pan (see instructions below). Dry-cured Spanish chorizo is the
sausage of choice for paella, but fresh chorizo or linguiça is an
acceptable substitute. Soccarat, a layer of crusty browned rice that
forms on the bottom of the pan, is a traditional part of paella. In
our version, soccarat does not develop because most of the cooking is
done in the oven. We have provided instructions to develop soccarat; if
you prefer, skip this step.
Serves 6
http://www.terrypogue.com/Terry
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