Paella American Style Food

ALL-AMERICAN PAELLA

Steps:

• In a very large skillet (at least 14 inches in diameter), or in a 15-inch paella pan, heat three-quarters of a cup of the olive oil over high heat until very hot, about two minutes. Add the chicken-wing drumsticks and the sausages and saute, turning frequently, for about five minutes, until the meats are nicely browned. Remove and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Discard the oil in the skillet and add the remaining quarter cup of olive oil; heat over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add the onion and garlic and saute for five minutes, stirring frequently, or just until the onion begins to turn golden brown. Add the chopped tomatoes, pureed red peppers and pulverized chili pepper, and simmer over medium-high heat for five minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add the rice to the skillet and stir over medium-high heat for two minutes. Add the hot chicken broth, white wine, lemon juice, parsley, chives, bay leaf, salt, pepper and hot-pepper sauce. Stir over medium-high heat for five minutes.
• Turn off the heat and add to the skillet the reserved chicken wings and sausages, the lobster, ham, mussels, squid and sugar snap peas. Stir once, carefully, and place the skillet, uncovered, in the preheated oven. After 20 minutes, taste the rice to make sure it is completely cooked. If so, remove from oven and cover loosely with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

PAELLA 'A L'AMERICAINE

Steps:

• Prick sausage in several places with a pin and place in a paella pan or electric skillet with 1/4 inch water; cover and simmer slowly 5 minutes, then drain, discarding liquid.
• Cut sausage into 1/2-inch pieces and saute' in pan with the oil until lightly browned; stir in onions and peppers.
• Cover and cook slowly until vegetables are tender.
• Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving fat in pan.
• Dry chicken pieces in paper towels, heat fat in pan, and brown chicken on all sides.
• Drain fat out of pan, add the sausage and vegetables, then the remaining ingredients.
• Cover and simmer slowly for 15 minutes--chicken will be one-half to two-thirds cooked, and will finish later, with the rice.
• (May be cooked in advance; bring to the boil before proceeding.) About half an hour before serving, bring chicken and sausage to the rapid boil on top of the stove.
• Sprinkle in the rice, mixing it down into the liquid with a spoon.
• Boil rapidly 5 to 6 minutes, uncovered--do not stir the rice.
• When it has swollen and begun to rise to the surface, rapidly push the shrimp, tail end down, into the rice; strew on the tomatoes, peas or beans, chickpeas, and olives.
• Again, do not stir, simply push these ingredients down into the rice with a spoon.
• Carefully correct seasoning.
• Reduce heat and let paella simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes, or more, uncovered, until rice is just tender--slightly al dente.
• (It is best not to cover the pan, but if you feel the rice is not cooking properly, cover for a few minutes, sprinkling on a few tbsps. or so of stock or water if rice seems dry; then uncover to finish cooking.) At the end of the cooking, the rice will have absorbed the liquid.
• Serve the paella from its cooking pan, and decorate with the lemon quarters and parsley.
• Note: When finished cooking, I will cover and let sit for 5-10 minutes before 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 BAJA-STYLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a medium saucepot, heat the stock with the turmeric, saffron, and paprika. Bring the stock to a simmer, do not let it boil. Heat a large paella pan with 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sweat for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the onions are slightly brown in color.
• Add the pork to the pan and begin to cook. Once the pork is completely cooked, pull the onion, tomato, and pork out of the pan and set aside. Try to leave as much drippings in the pan as possible and return the pan to heat. Add the chicken and beef to the pan and sear on all sides. Saute for around 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and beef from the pan and set aside with the pork mixture. Next, add the sea bass to the pan, you may add more olive oil at this point if needed. Cook the sea bass for 5 minutes, and then add 3 cups of the heated stock. Add the rice, parsley, red pepper, and serranos. Add the sesame seeds, tarragon, and herbes de Provence and season with salt and pepper. Pour in the wine and the remaining chicken stock into the rice mixture. Let the mixture simmer for 2 minutes, then add the peas and artichoke halves. Also add the clams and green olives.
• Add the reserved meat back into the paella pan and gently fold it in. Bury the shrimp and baby squid into the rice. Lay the asparagus on top of everything in the pan. Then cover the pan with a lid or foil.
• Continue to cook the paella on the stovetop on low to medium heat, covered, for another 7 to 8 minutes. Then, place the paella pan in the oven for 15 minutes. Check the paella to make sure all the meats are cooked and the rice is al dente. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary.

ULTIMATE SPANISH PAELLA

Steps:

• In a paella pan or a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat; add chicken and sausage.
• Cook, stirring until browned, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer chicken and sausage to a paper towel-lined plate; cover with foil to keep warm.
• Drain off fat from paella pan.
• Wipe pan clean.
• In the same skillet, heat remaining oil.
• Add garlic and yellow onion.
• Cook, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add rice and turmeric.
• Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes longer.
• Add broth to pan.
• Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Return chicken and sausage to pan.
• Add bell pepper, green onions, cilantro, jalapeno pepper and red pepper flakes.
• Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes.
• Add shrimp and peas; cook until shrimp are opague, about 5 minutes longer.

PAELLA PANAMANIAN STYLE

Steps:

• Cut and fry the chicken well.
• Make a sauce with 1 1/2 onions chopped, 1 1/2 green peppers chopped and 1 1/2 tomatoes cut up.
• Add 1 cup water.
• Cook on a low heat.
• Separately, fry the sausages in small pieces and do the same with the pork chops.
• Boil the lobsters and shrimp and peel them.
• Clean and slice clams and squid.
• Make a sauce with 1 1/2 onions, 1 1/2 green pepper, 1 1/2 tomatoes and liquid from the peas.
• Separate the meat from the bones of all the meat and cook the clams with scallions and parsley.
• Wash the rice well (3 times) and in a large, deep pot, put 6 tablespoons oil and fry the rice.
• Add the liquid the seafoods were cooked in (about 5 cups).
• Add sausage, boneless chicken and pork with its sauce, whole shrimp, lobster sliced into small pieces, clams and squid and mussels in their sauce.
• Also add sauce made with the remaining onion, scallion, finely chopped green pepper, tomato paste and tomato sauce.
• Add the peas and olives.
• Cook at a high heat for 10 minutes; then cover pot and cook at a low heat for 45 minutes.
• When ready to serve, decorate with strips of green pepper and olives.