What is paella?
Pronounced pay-EH-yah!, paella is a rice dish cooked over an open flame in a shallow, broad pan. Valencian paella is a word meaning "frying pan." Short grain rice, green beans, rabbit, chicken, and saffron are the traditional ingredients of paella; however, there are also a plethora of varieties available, ranging from vegetarian to seafood. Here, I prepared a mixta paella, which is simply a mixed paella with veggies, shellfish, and beef.
Process
Evenly distribute the rice and then top with the peppers. Cook the rice, uncovered, without stirring, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. To ensure that the heat is distributed evenly, rotate the pan every two minutes if it is bigger than the burner. Add the remaining 2 cups of chicken stock once the stock has reduced sufficiently.
Turn down the heat to low and add the cooked shrimp on top. Hinge side down, nestle inside the clams. Cook for a further five to ten minutes, or until the clams have opened and the rice has absorbed the liquid and become al dente, without covering or stirring. To make the socarrat, turn the heat up to high for one or two minutes. Before serving, take the pan from the burner, cover it with foil, and wait five minutes.
Ingredients
- 30 threads saffron lightly crushed, about 1/2 tsp
- 1/4 cup neutral oil high heat such as grapeseed preferred
- 2 links Spanish chorizo sliced
- 4 bone in skin on chicken thighs
- 10-12 large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 small onion minced, about 1 cup
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 3 medium tomatoes diced or grated, about 2 cups, see notes
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 6 cups chicken broth no sodium preferred
- 2.5 cups bomba rice
- 1 red or orange pepper sliced into 1" strips
- 12 clams
Special Equipment
-
medium-sized paella pan
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