Freekeh Paella With Clams And Almond Aioli Food

FREEKEH PAELLA WITH CLAMS AND ALMOND AIOLI

Steps:

• Almond aioli:
• Preheat oven to 350°. Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 5-8 minutes. Let cool.
• Pulse almonds and garlic in a food processor or blender until finely ground. With motor running, gradually stream in oil, lemon juice, then 1/4 cup water; process, adding water as needed, until aioli is light, smooth, and consistency of mayonnaise; season with salt. Cover; chill.
• Do ahead: Aioli can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
• Paella:
• Pulse onions in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a large bowl. Repeat, separately, with carrots, garlic, and chile, adding to bowl with onions as you go. Pulse chorizo in food processor until finely ground.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium and cook chorizo, stirring often, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chorizo to a plate.
• Add vegetables and bay leaf to skillet; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until moisture is evaporated and vegetables have started to brown, 12-15 minutes; this is your flavor base.
• Add freekeh and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until darkened in color, about 2 minutes. Stir in chorizo and 4 1/2 cups water; season with salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook, adding more water if liquid evaporates too quickly, until grains are al dente and almost all liquid is absorbed, 45-50 minutes. Nestle clams in freekeh and cover skillet. Cook until clams open, 7-10 minutes; discard any that don't open, along with bay leaf. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until clam juices evaporate and freekeh is tender, about 5 minutes.
• Top with pickled peppers and parsley; serve with aioli and lemon wedges.

MIXED SEAFOOD PAELLA WITH GARLIC AIOLI

Steps:

• Place the shrimp, fish and squid in a colander, sprinkle with coarse salt and let sit while preparing the remaining ingredients. Combine the stock, saffron, and wine in a saucepan, and bring to a boil while cooking fish. Heat the olive oil in a wide paella pan set over two burners. Add the shrimp, fish, and squid, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the shrimp and fish, leaving the squid in the pan. Add the peppers to the pan, and saute 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another minute to release the aromas. Stir in the paprika and tomatoes, and saute 1 minute to release the aromas. Add the rice, toss to coat it with the tomato mixture, and stir in the parsley and bay leaves. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Add the hot broth to the pan, along with the peas. Boil for 5 to 10 minutes, or until some of the liquid reduces. (Paella should have just enough liquid to cook rice, but not be soupy). Adjust seasonings. Stir in the reserved shrimp and fish, and arrange the mussels over the paella with the edges that will open facing up. Transfer paella pan to the oven and cook, uncovered, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until rice is almost cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove paella from oven, cover loosely, and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with the Garlic Aioli.
• Mash the garlic with the salt, and combine with the egg yolks, vinegar, and lemon juice in a bowl. Blend with a whisk. Gradually add oil, a drop at a time, whisking constantly. As mixture begins to thicken and look like mayonnaise, add oil more generously. Adjust seasonings and store in refrigerator until ready to use.

PAELLA WITH CHORIZO, SHRIMP, CLAMS AND CHICKEN WITH GARLIC AIOLI

Steps:

• For the paella: Add the chicken stock, saffron threads and shrimp shells to a medium saucepan and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, coat the paella pans generously with olive oil. Add the chorizo, dividing it between the two pans. Set the pans over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the chorizo is crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken to the pans and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is beginning to brown, but isn't cooked all the way through.
• Add the garlic, celery, onions, peppers and tomato to a food processor and pulse until chopped into a coarse paste. Add to the paella pans and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated and the veggies are soft and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the peas and cook 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add about 1/2 cup of the stock to each pan and stir, making sure to scrape up the fond from the bottom of the pans. Season to taste with salt. Add about another cup of the stock to each pan, then bring the liquid to a boil.
• Add the rice and stir until thoroughly combined. Nestle the clams into the rice and cook for 5 minutes. Nestle the shrimp into the rice and simmer until the shrimp are pink and cooked through and the clams have fully opened, 5 minutes.
• For the aioli: Meanwhile, add the vinegar, garlic and egg yolks to a food processor and process until combined. With the machine running, slowly add the oil to emulsify the mixture. Season to taste with salt.
• For serving: Garnish with the chives and a drizzle of aioli.

GARLICKY CLAM PAELLA

Steps:

• Place large clams in a skillet with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook, removing clams as they open. Swish clams in the broth to remove any sand, then shake dry and chop coarsely. Set aside.
• Pour liquid through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or one layer of a two-ply paper towel. Measure out 2 and 3/4 cups and set aside. Reserve additional broth for another use.
• Set aside 2 tablespoons parsley. In a mortar or mini processor, mash to a paste the remaining parsley, garlic, saffron and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
• When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400 for gas, 450 for electric. Warm broth over a low flame. Have pre-measured and ready to go onion, leeks, pepper, bay leaf, chile pepper, chopped clams, bay leaf, chile pepper, paprika, rice and Manila clams. Combine mortar mixture (parsley, garlic, saffron, salt) with wine and lemon juice.
• Heat the oil in a paella pan measuring about 13 inches (or in a shallow casserole of a similar size) and slowly saute the onion, leeks, pepper, bay leaf and chile pepper until the vegetables are softened.
• Add the chopped clams and saute 5 minutes more. Remove the bay leaf and chile pepper and stir in the paprika. Add the rice and coat well with the pan mixture. Pour in the broth, bring to a boil, taste for salt, add the mortar-wine-lemon juice mixture and Manila clams and boil, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the rice is no longer soupy but sufficient liquid remains to continue cooking the rice.
• Transfer to the oven and cook, uncovered, 10 to 12 minutes in a gas oven, or 15 to 20 minutes in an electric oven, until the rice is almost al dente.
• Remove to a warm spot, cover with foil and let sit 5 to 10 minutes, until the rice is cooked to taste.
• To a achieve a crusty bottom, return the paella to the stove over high heat and cook, without stirring, until a crust of rice forms at the bottom of the pan. Be careful not to let it burn. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve.

ALFRESCO DINING - SEAFOOD PAELLA AND SAFFRON AIOLI

Steps:

• Use a mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, and combine egg yolks, garlic, saffron, and a pinch of salt; whisk at high speed, while adding oil, drop by drop (this is important because otherwise mixture will not thicken properly).
• As the aioli begins to thicken you can increase the oil to a thin stream; adjust seasonings with a squeeze of lemon juice and/or more salt, if needed.
• In a paella pan with lid or large deep-sided skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat; add onion and saute until softened and golden, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, coarsely grate the tomatoes, cut side, until only the skins remain and discard skins; you should have about 2 cups of tomatoes.
• Stir the tomatoes, peppers, and bay leaves into the onions; season with paprika.
• Simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid evaporates, about 15 minutes.
• Add the stock, bring to a boil, then stir in the rice; reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes, stirring to prevent the rice from sticking.
• Stir in the peas, squid, mussels or clams, and shrimp; turn heat to low and simmer until nearly all the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
• Cover with lid, remove from heat, and let rest 5 to 10 minutes; sprinkle with parsley and let cool.
• Serve with saffron aioli and lemon wedges.

SEAFOOD PAELLA AND SAFFRON AIOLI

Steps:

• To make the aioli: In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the egg yolks, garlic clove, saffron and a pinch of salt. Whisk at high speed while adding the oil drop by drop. As the mixture thickens, increase the oil to a very thin trickle until it is used up and the aioli is thick and wobbly. Adjust the seasoning with a squeeze of lemon juice and more salt, if needed.
• To make the paella: In a large deep-sided frying pan or paella pan with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and golden, about 15 minutes.
• Coarsely grate the tomatoes, cut side down, until only the skin remains. Discard the skins. There should be about 2 cups.
• Stir the tomatoes, peppers, bay leaves and paprika into the onion. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until no liquid remains, about 15 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil and pour in the rice. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring a few times to prevent sticking.
• Add the peas, squid, mussels or clams, and shrimp, incorporating everything into the rice. Simmer over low heat until nearly all the liquid has disappeared, about 10 minutes. Cover with a lid, remove from heat and rest for 5 to 10 minutes more. Scatter with parsley and cool. Serve with the saffron aioli and lemon wedges.