Winter Paella With Rabbit Quail And Duck Confit Food

HUNTER'S PAELLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season rabbit with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in saute pan. Add rabbit and brown. Stir in sherry, cover and place in oven 20 minutes, until rabbit is cooked. Remove meat from pan and allow to cool.
• Add stock to cooking liquid from rabbit. Add saffron, bring to a simmer, then remove from heat.
• Heat remaining oil in 17-inch paella pan over medium heat. You may have to place pan on two burners, or use two smaller pans. Add quails and brown. Set aside. Add onion, green and red pepper, garlic, bay leaf and herb sprigs to pan. Cook very slowly, stirring from time to time, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
• While vegetables are cooking, remove rabbit meat from bones in large chunks.
• Add paprika and tomatoes to paella pan and cook until most liquid in pan has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add rice and saute briefly. Add stock to pan, stir and simmer 10 minutes. Tuck pieces of rabbit, quail and duck into rice. Place in oven and bake 15 minutes. Remove, cover loosely with foil and set aside 10 minutes. Strew with parsley and serve.

WINTER PAELLA WITH RABBIT, QUAIL, AND DUCK CONFIT

Steps:

• Have a large platter nearby to hold all the meat that you will brown.
• Heat a big skillet over medium heat; swirl in 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Add in quails and brown on both sides, about 8 minutes in total; transfer to platter.
• Add choizo to skillet, cook/stir until well browned, about 8 minutes; transfer to platter; cover and set in the refrigerator.
• Drain all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan; add in rabbit quarters.
• Cook, turning once, until browned, about 8 minutes.
• Pour in the broth, red wine, and saffron; bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits in the pan.
• Cover, decrease heat to low, and simmer slowly until the rabbit is tender and cooked through, about 30 minutes.
• Remove rabbit to the platter and cool until you can handle it, about 10 minutes.
• Keep the cooking liquid warm in the skillet over very low heat; you should have about 4 cups broth (add more if necessary).
• Once the rabbit has cooled, take the meat off the bones, discarding the bones, and cutting the meat into bite-sized pieces.
• Also take the meat off the duck confit legs, shredding it with a fork; set all the meat aside at room temperature.
• Position oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 375°.
• Heat a 14 inch paella pan over medium heat; swirl in the remaining 4 tablespoons oil and add in onion; cook/stir until translucent, about 4 minutes.
• Add in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
• Stir in tomatoes, thyme, smoked paprika, salt, and bay leaf; cook/stir until almost all the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes.
• Add the rice to the pan and stir over the heat until translucent, about 1 minute.
• Strain the warmed broth mixture into the pan and bring to a simmer; cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
• Tuck all the meat into the simmer sauce, arranging it around the pan.
• Place in the oven and bake until almost all the liquid has been absorbed and rice is fairly tender, about 15 minutes.
• Transfer to a wire rack, cover tightly with foil, and set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
• **If you are using standard canned beef broth, enrich it with 2 teaspoons beef or veal demiglace, found in the freezer case of high-end markets.

PAELLA OF THE LAND

Steps:

• Build a medium-hot fire in your grill (when ready, you can hold your hand about 6 inches above the grill for only 2 or 3 seconds).
• Season the chicken thighs and rabbit liberally with salt and pepper. Put the thighs, then the rabbit, then the chorizo (if using fresh) on the grill and sear well without cooking through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side for each. (If using dried chorizo, simply slice into chunks and add in step 5.) As each is seared, remove from the grill and set aside. As soon as the chorizo is cool enough, slice it diagonally into bite-size chunks.
• Meanwhile, combine the chicken broth, wine and saffron in a medium saucepan, bring just to a simmer, then set on the side of the grill to keep warm.
• Place a large paella pan on the grill, add the olive oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 3 minutes, adjusting the pan on the heat as needed to prevent burning. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add the jamón and cook, stirring, until it is just heated through, about 3 or 4 minutes.
• Add the rice and stir until well coated, then add the tomatoes and smooth out the rice to an even thickness. Slowly and without stirring, add enough of the broth mixture to leave just a thin layer of broth above the rice, then tuck the chicken, rabbit and chorizo pieces into the rice. Simmer slowly, moving the pan around on the fire as needed to keep the simmer going; avoid boiling. Gently add small amounts of liquid as needed so it's not totally dry. When the rice is creamy and just al dente and the chicken, rabbit and chorizo are cooked through (should take 20 to 35 minutes), remove pan from heat and stir in the peas, if using. If using pimento strips, place on top.