Southwestern Paella Food

SOUTHWESTERN PAELLA

Steps:

• Cut the chicken pieces and the pork into bite-sized pieces.
• Heat olive oil in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven over medium high heat and brown chicken and pork in small batches; remove from kettle and set aside.
• Add onions, tomatoes, and bell pepper and cook over medium heat until onion is tender but not browned.
• Take about a cup of broth , put it in a small sauce pan, add the Mexican saffron and bring to a boil to release the saffron's goodness and color.
• Place this and the rest of the liquid in the kettle, stir in the rice,add the spices,the chicken and pork and bring to a boil.
• Cover tightly, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes.
• Stir in peas.
• If you wish to add the shrimp and fish, stir that in at this point.
• Cover tightly and simmer 15 minutes longer.
• Then carefully stir in artichoke hearts.
• Serve on a large platter and garnish with the pimentos.

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

Steps:

• To make the sofrito, pulse together the onion and pepper in the bowl of a food processor to break them down. Pulse in the jalapeno and garlic and then add the cilantro and tomatoes and puree into a course mixture. Set aside.
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a paella pan over medium heat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and then add them to the pan skin-side down. Cook without moving too much until golden brown and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Add the chorizo to the pan and cook until it has rendered its fat. Add in the sofrito with a good pinch of salt and cook until fragrant and the sofrito begins to toast and dry out, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and toast until rusty in color, about 1 minute.
• Add the rice and toast briefly. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the paprika and cumin and then slowly add the stock, stirring as you add. Nestle the chicken back into the pan and bring to a simmer. Arrange the clams around the chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Add the mussels and shrimp and cover the pan. Cook until the clams and mussels have opened and the rice is tender and crisp on the bottom, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Discard any clams or mussels that didn't open. Garnish with freshly ground pepper and some torn cilantro. Serve.

EASY PAELLA

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons olive oil, paprika, oregano, and salt and pepper. Stir in chicken pieces to coat. Cover, and refrigerate.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, red pepper flakes, and rice. Cook, stirring, to coat rice with oil, about 3 minutes. Stir in saffron threads, bay leaf, parsley, chicken stock, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Stir in marinated chicken and onion; cook 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and sausage; cook 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp; cook, turning the shrimp, until both sides are pink.
• Spread rice mixture onto a serving tray. Top with meat and seafood mixture.