Mixed Grill Paella Food

SEAFOOD PAELLA

Steps:

• Preheat the grill: Heat a gas grill to medium-high heat (375°F), or light a charcoal grill and let burn until the charcoal is covered with gray ash.
• Assemble the ingredients by the grill: On a table next to the grill, set the skillet with the sofrito, the rice, tomatoes, infused stock, salt, peas, shrimp, mussels, and clams.
• Check to see if the bottom is browned: Slip a spatula under the rice and check to see if you have achieved the elusive golden brown socarrat . If not, set the pan over the heat, uncovered, for a few minutes to lightly caramelize the bottom. Sprinkle with parsley and bring the whole pan to the table for serving.

THE ULTIMATE PAELLA

Steps:

• Combine the paprika and oregano in a small bowl. Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
• Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Saute 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 from pan and reserve.
• In the same pan, make a sofrito by sauteing the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan, add the lobster tails. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it's perfect.
• Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.

PAELLA ON THE GRILL

Steps:

• Light several chimney starters filled with charcoal and let burn until the briquettes are covered with gray ash. Put the charcoal in the center of the bottom of a large kettle grill, place the grate on and cover the grill. Let heat for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
• Brush the chicken with some of the canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the chicken skin-side down on the cooler part of the grill (the outer rim), to cook indirectly and slowly, and put the lid on. Cook the chicken until golden brown on both sides and almost completely cooked through, about 12 minutes for breasts and 15 minutes for thighs and wings. Remove to a sheet pan. Cut the breasts into 3 or 4 pieces.
• Combine the chicken stock and saffron in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer, either on the hot part of the grill or on a burner. Add the clams, cover and cook until the clams open, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the clams to a bowl. Add the mussels to the broth, cover and cook until the mussels open, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Discard any shellfish that don't open.
• Brush the shrimp, the cut sides of the lobsters, scallops, and cut sides of the lemons with some of the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper on all sides. Grill the shrimp for about 1 minute per side. Grill the lobster cut-side down until charred and just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the claws and the tails but leave the shells on; discard the bodies. Grill the scallops until slightly charred and almost cooked through, about 1 minute per side. Grill the lemon cut-side down until charred, about 45 seconds. Remove all ingredients to sheet pans.
• Heat 3 tablespoons canola oil in a large paella pan over direct heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes. Begin adding the stock 1 cup at a time and cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is al dente, about 25 minutes.
• Arrange the chicken, clams mussels, shrimp, scallop, peas, lobster and piquillo peppers in the rice. Squeeze the juice from 4 of the lemon halves over the top, and nestle the 4 other halves in the rice. Scatter the parsley over the top. Stir gently to bring some of the rice up from the bottom, and serve.

GRILLED PAELLA

Steps:

• If using, soak the wood chips in water. In a large pot, stir the saffron into the chicken broth and set over medium heat. Once hot, lower the heat and keep warm.
• In an 18-inch paella pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. (A large, wide, shallow, flameproof saucepan may be substituted - or, in a pinch, an enameled Dutch oven.) Season the chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper and brown on all sides in the hot oil. Transfer to a plate. Cook the chorizo in the same pan until it starts to brown. Transfer to a second, paper-towel-lined plate. Remove the pan from the heat.
• Light a charcoal grill with about a large cereal box's worth of charcoal. Return the paella pan to the stove and set over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, then add the rice and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring the stock, paella pan, chicken, chorizo and other ingredients to a table near the grill. When the fire is at its peak heat (all of the coals are lit, and you can hold your hand over the hottest part of the fire for only a few seconds), quickly stir the shrimp, chorizo and peas into the rice, then add 2 quarts of stock. Add the clams hinge-side up so that when they open in the heat, their juices are released into the rice. Nestle the chicken on top. Using thick gloves and a pair of tongs, carefully remove the grill grate. Drain the wood chips and drop them into the fire. Quickly replace the grill grate and set the paella pan on the grate. Cover the grill and cook the paella until all the liquid has absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes. If the rice is underdone, add another cup of stock and return to the fire for 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and, if you choose, top with parsley.

GRILLED SHEET PAN PAELLA

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium heat. Put a rimmed sheet pan on the grill to preheat. Pour the broth into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Add the saffron and keep hot.
• When the grill is preheated, add the olive oil to the sheet pan. Add the chorizo and cook, tossing occasionally, until browned on the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper and sprinkle with some salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, 30 seconds. Add the rice and stir to coat the rice in the oil. Spread the rice with the back of a wooden spoon to make a flat even layer. Add the broth and adjust the heat so the edges are just simmering. Cover with a second inverted sheet pan, making sure the edges line up to create a tight seal. Weight the sheet pan down with the saucepan or a cast-iron skillet. Close the grill and let the rice simmer for 18 minutes. (If your grill has a thermometer, try to keep it between 350 and 375 degrees F.)
• Check the rice. It should be cooked but still rather al dente. If not, give it a stir and cook a few more minutes. Uncover the grill and increase the heat to medium-high. Scatter the mussels and shrimp over the rice. Cover the grill and cook until the mussels just begin to open, 5 to 7 minutes. (This requires some attention: the rice should crust at the edges but not burn. Stir so that you can look at the rice to make sure, and adjust the heat accordingly.) Scatter the peas and scallions over the top. Cover and grill, checking occasionally, until the mussels and shrimp are cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes more. Drizzle the paella with olive oil and garnish with the parsley.

GRILLED PAELLA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix the paprika and garlic powder. Season the chicken, shrimp and calamari with the mixture. Brush both sides of the meat and seafood with 3 tablespoons of the canola oil. Let marinate 1 hour refrigerated.
• Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.
• Season both sides of the meat and seafood generously with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken a few minutes per side to crisp the skin, then move to a cooler part of the grill to finish cooking, about 10 minutes. Remove and place on a baking sheet. Grill the shrimp 1 to 2 minutes per side, then remove to the baking sheet. Grill the calamari a few minutes per side. Slice the calamari into rings on a cutting board and transfer to the baking sheet. Grill the lemon halves cut-side down until grill-marked, 3 to 4 minutes; transfer to the baking sheet. Set aside.
• In a saucepan, combine the chicken stock and saffron threads. Bring to a simmer, whisking until the saffron dissolves. (This can be done on the grill as well, or on the stove inside and brought out to the grill area. The stock should be hot while you are making the paella.)
• Place an 18-inch paella pan (or large cast-iron skillet) over the hottest part of the grill. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons canola oil, add the onions and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the fat starts to render and it begins to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, coating it in the chorizo fat and toasting it, about 2 minutes. Using a ladle, begin to add the stock, stirring constantly. Cook, continuing to add the stock as it absorbs, until the rice is al dente, 15 to 20 minutes. Once the stock is absorbed, stir in the peas. Now, stop stirring to allow the "soccarrat" to form (this is the crispy bottom on the rice; it's not burnt!). Allow the bottom to crisp up for about 5 minutes.
• Arrange the chicken, seafood, lemon halves and peppers on top of the rice. Sprinkle the parsley and scallions over the top. Use a spoon or spatula to scrape up the crispy bottom of the rice and serve.