We might eat well and cheaply, but there are times when you have to splurge and eat fantastically.
Paella is the national dish of Spain, and there are as many versions as there are Spanish villages. It is a dish of rice, a great deal of garlic, seafood and whatever else you like. Most versions are just seafood, but this is my version, with something for everyone. The crowning touch is a mixture of garlic, parsley and saffron added at the end, a touch I got from a version cooked by Antonio Banderas.
You can use a very wide, flat, shallow pan, but your best bet is to get a true paella pan that you can find for about $10.
Traditionally, paella is cooked over a fire. I make paella over a hot charcoal grill outdoors. Ive also done it on the stove, but the result is much less satisfactory.
Have everything prepared and ready to go before you begin cooking.
SPANISH PAELLA
Cook time, 90 minutes
Serves 4-6
Spice mix for chicken
1 (3-pound frying) chicken, cut into small pieces. Save the back and any scraps.
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Spanish chorizo sausages, thickly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large Spanish onion, diced
10 garlic cloves, divided, crushed
One bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, divided
One red bell pepper, half diced, half sliced into long thin strips
Three large Roma tomatoes, diced
4 cups short grain Spanish rice
6 cups chicken or shrimp broth, warm
Generous pinch saffron threads, divided
1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
1pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined - save shells for broth
1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen
Lemon wedges, for serving
Spice mix for chicken:
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Rub the spice mix over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
Meanwhile, simmer the chicken scraps in 3 cups of water to make a simple broth. Separately, simmer the shrimp shells in 3 cups water, cooking just until they turn red. Strain each and keep warm.
Thoroughly chop together six of the garlic cloves, half the parsley and half the saffron into a rough paste. Set aside.
Set the paella pan over a hot charcoal or gas grill outdoors, add the olive oil. Sauté the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve.
In the same pan, sauté the onions, 4 crushed garlic cloves, the diced part of the bell pepper, and the remaining parsley. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes and the flavors meld. Add the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in the chicken and shrimp broth and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add the reserved chicken, chorizo and half the saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. Give the paella a good shake, without stirring. When things begin to firm up, add the chopped garlic, parsley and saffron. Add the strips of bell pepper, and strew the peas around the top. Do not stir. Move the pan off the heat if it is cooking too quickly, allow the paella to cook for 10-15 minutes, until the clams have opened and the rice is tender. The rice will form a darkened crust in the bottom: then its perfect.
Remove from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with lemon wedges.
(Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence)
