Big Paella With Seafood And Chicken

SEAFOOD-AND-CHICKEN PAELLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in lowest position. In a saucepan, combine broth, saffron (if using), and paprika; bring to a simmer and keep warm.
• In a large skillet (at least 12 inches wide), heat oil over medium. Season chicken with salt and pepper. When oil is very hot, cook chicken, skin side down, until skin is golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip, spoon off all but 1 teaspoon fat from skillet, and push chicken to side.
• Add chorizo to skillet and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Add rice; stir to coat thoroughly with tomato-chorizo mixture. Stir in hot broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt (skillet will be very full). Arrange chicken evenly on top, making sure rice is submerged. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring rice occasionally, 8 minutes. Nestle mussels in cooking liquid and cook 2 minutes more. Arrange shrimp on top.
• Place skillet in oven and cook until all liquid is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Let paella stand 10 minutes before serving.

PAELLA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas 5.
• Quarter each piece of chicken, then season with sea salt and black pepper and dust with flour.
• Heat a splash of oil in a large, deep pan on a medium heat and fry the chicken until golden brown all over, then transfer to a baking tray and place in the oven for 20 minutes, or until cooked through.
• Meanwhile, slice the chorizo, peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, and pick and finely chop the parsley leaves, finely chopping the stalks.
• Put the pan back on the heat, add the sliced chorizo and pancetta or bacon and fry until browned and crispy. Add the onion, garlic and parsley stalks, then cook until soft.
• Meanwhile, gently heat the chicken stock and infuse half with the saffron.
• Add the smoked paprika, the rice and infused stock to the pan and leave to cook on a medium heat for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, halve the squid and lightly score all over with a regular eating knife (if using).
• When the time's up, add the remaining stock, peas, prawns, and the mussels and squid (if using). Place a lid on the pan and cook for 10 further minutes.
• Finally, add the cooked chicken, sprinkle over the chopped parsley and serve with wedges of lemon for squeezing over.

CHICKEN AND SEAFOOD PAELLA

Steps:

• In a large stock pot over high heat add 2 tablespoons oil. Add the chicken thighs and ham hocks and brown thighs on both sides. Remove chicken to a plate, leaving the ham hocks in the pot. Add to pot 1 cup of onions, celery, carrots and garlic and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Deglaze with white wine and reduce by half. Next add the seafood stock, saffron and 2 quarts of water and let simmer for 2 hours or until reduced by half. When stock is finished simmering, strain and hold stock on low heat.
• In a large saute pan or paella pan add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, chorizo, red bell pepper and the remaining 1 cup onion, cook until the onions are translucent, but do not brown. Add rice, salt and pepper to pan and saute until all grains of rice are coated with oil of the pan. Form rice around the pan so it is level, next add 1 cup of broth at a time to the rice; do not stir the rice. When rice is al dente, or 3/4 of the way of being fully cooked, add chicken thighs, shrimp, scallops, mussels, and clams. Bury the seafood items in the rice so they will cook.
• Add final cup of broth and cover entire pan tightly with another pan or lid. Let sit off heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until seafood is cooked.
• Garnish with scallions and Roma tomatoes

SPANISH PAELLA (WITH CHICKEN AND SEAFOOD)

Steps:

• Heat 3 tbsp oil in large skillet on medium high heat.
• Add chicken pieces and fry 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden.
• Remove from skillet and season with salt and pepper.
• Add onions and peppers to skillet.
• Sauté 2 minutes.
• Stir in garlic, paprika and thyme.
• Sauté 1 minute and add shrimp.
• Sauté until shrimp turn pink.
• Add 1 Tbsp oil if needed.
• Sprinkle rice into pan.
• Sauté, stirring frequently 2 to 3 minutes or until coated with oil.
• Stir in tomatoes.
• Season well.
• Combine stock and saffron and stir into rice mixture.
• Bring to boil.
• Boil for about 2 minutes, reduce heat to medium.
• Return chicken and push down into rice.
• Cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
• Stock should be bubbling.
• Stir rice around and add shrimp, lima beans, red peppers and clams.
• Cook for 10 minutes longer.
• Remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes.
• To serve, sprinkle with parsley and garnish with lemon wedges and green onions.

CHICKEN AND SEAFOOD PAELLA

Steps:

• (Note: Lobster Stock recipe not shown in video. Make Lobster Stock before commencing with the rest of the paella, or substitute chicken stock.) Lobster Stock: Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a rolling boil; cook lobsters, 5 minutes. Remove lobsters, reserving water. When cool enough to handle, remove the tails and claws, keeping shells intact, and set aside for the paella. Place lobster bodies on a sturdy surface, belly side up. Cut in half, then quarters, keeping shells intact.In a medium stockpot over medium-high heat, add olive oil and sauté lobster body pieces, 5-7 minutes. Add tomato paste, stirring to thoroughly coat the lobster. Deglaze the pan with brandy and cook off the alcohol, about 1 minute; then add onion, carrots, tomato, fennel, and garlic and continue sautéing, 3-5 minutes. Add 6 cups of the reserved lobster water, stir to combine, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 2-3 hours. Strain stock into a large bowl, discarding lobster pieces and vegetables. Remove 1 cup of the stock; steep a pinch of saffron threads in the hot liquid for 3-4 minutes, then return the saffron-infused broth to the stock. Reserve Lobster Stock for paella. Sofrito: Dice onions and bell pepper (pieces should be the same size); set aside in separate bowls. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Grate over a bowl flesh-side down and discard tomato skin. Smash garlic cloves and roughly chop; use the back of the knife to crush the garlic, then continue to chop to a rough paste. Set aside. Discard stem and seeds of soaked chile; use a knife gently scrape the flesh from the skin of the pepper. Discard the skin and set flesh aside in a small bowl.
• In a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, then 1 more tablespoon olive oil. Stir and sweat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add the bell peppers and chile to the onions; then add the grated tomato and season with salt and pepper. Stir, then add garlic and vinegar. Stir to thoroughly combine all ingredients. Reduce heat to low and simmer Sofrito uncovered, stirring occasionally until reduced by two-thirds, about 2 hours. Makes 2 cups Sofrito. (Note: Freeze leftovers in small portions to defrost and use as needed. Even for a quick rice or pasta dish, a bit of this will make all the difference in flavor.)
• Paella: Discard outer casing from chorizo, then dice and set aside. Prepare lobster pieces by cutting across the tail in 2-inch medallions, leaving shells intact. Use the back of a knife to crack the claws. Set lobster aside. Place shrimp and chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• In a paella pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat until smoking, 1 minute. Lay chicken pieces skin-side down, then the shrimp, in an even layer to sear. After 30 seconds, turn shrimp, cook 30 more seconds, then remove and set aside. (Shrimp will be lightly seared, not fully cooked.)Continue cooking chicken until the skin is golden brown, 2 minutes; to maintain even heat, use the handles to turn the pan as the chicken cooks. Turn chicken over and add chorizo. Add 1 cup Lobster Stock; it should sizzle and steam when it hits the hot pan. Add 1 cup Sofrito and gently stir to combine and return to active simmer, about 30 seconds.
• When paella is at an active simmer, add rice, distributing evenly in the pan. (Note: An active simmer is important; it helps the rice release its starch, giving paella the proper consistency.) Add another 1½ cups stock; gently stir, and season with a pinch or two of salt. Let simmer, turning the pan as necessary so the heat is evenly distributed. Lower heat to medium-low and continue cooking the paella, adding ½ cup of stock at a time as it absorbs, about 20 minutes.
• Flip the chicken pieces, adding stock to the parts of the pan that look drier. As the paella cooks and the dish firms up, the rice will begin to change from translucent to opaque. Stir gently to allow a bit of socarrat (the crispy bottom that is the prized part of paella) to begin to form on the bottom.
• When the rice has nearly finished cooking (about 25 minutes total), bury the clams into the paella, followed by the mussels. Then layer the shrimp on top. Raise the heat to medium-high.
• Add lobster tail and claw pieces to the pan. Flip the shrimp to let them cook completely through. Check that the chicken is cooked through: Cut into a piece and check that the color is rosy, but not deep pink. Taste the paella for seasoning and add a pinch more salt, if necessary. Finish the paella with a final drizzle of olive oil. Remove the paella pan from the heat and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. (Note: Discard any clams or mussels that have not opened.)