paella

On Saturday night we had our Spain Reunion Dinner.

Peggy & Jim and Lorraine & John plus Dave & I spent a relaxing evening drinking sangria, nibbling on tapas, and dining on my paella.

I’ll share recipes with you all week. I shall begin with the star of the evening – the paella!

Begin this recipe the day before to marinate the chicken overnight. Up to 4 hours before serving, brown the chicken and cook the onion, garlic, and tomato base in the same pan. You can finish the dish when your guests arrive by bringing the base back up to heat and taking turns stirring as you enjoy your tapas and sip sangria.

A couple of disclaimers before I get to the recipe. I forgot to add the peas. I had a bag of fresh peas in the fridge and just forgot, much to the dismay of my husband, who loves peas. Sorry!

And the final photo was taken at the dinner table which was outside, in the dark, and I should have used a flash. Oh well, it will have to do.

Linda’s Paella

Chicken Marinade
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons dried oregano, crumbled
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
6 chicken thighs
6 chicken breast halves, cut in half on the diagonal

Paella
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1/3 cup olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
32-ounce can whole Roma tomatoes
2 cups short-grain white rice
4 to 5 cups chicken broth
24 (U/15 or larger) shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups sliced cooked Spanish chorizo or sausage
1 cup shelled peas, fresh or frozen
36 clams, scrubbed
Additional white wine for cooking the shellfish

Chicken Marinade: In a small bowl combine the garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Add the vinegar and stir to form a paste. Stir in the olive oil.

Place the chicken pieces in a large zip-lock bag, pour in the marinade, and rub all over the chicken pieces, coating evenly. Zip bag closed and refrigerate overnight.

Paella: In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the wine, remove from heat; crush the saffron threads gently in the palm of your hand and add to the warm wine.

Let stand for 10 minutes.

In a paella pan or a large deep skillet, over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. As the oil warms, remove the chicken from the marinade, and set it on paper towels to drain.

Add the chicken to the oil, in batches, browning quickly on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.

To the oil in the pan, add the onions and sauté over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

While the onion is cooking, drain the tomatoes and chop. Then add the garlic and tomatoes to the pan and sauté, stirring, for 5 minutes.

Add the rice, reduce the heat to low, and stir for 3 minutes.

Add 4 cups of the chicken broth (you may be adding more down the road, depending on the absorbency of the rice) and the saffron with its soaking liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered and without stirring, for 10 minutes.

Add the browned chicken and any juice that collected on the plate and continue to cook, uncovered, until the liquids are absorbed and the rice is tender, about 5 minutes more. (This is the point where you want to test the rice and add more chicken broth if needed)

Add the shrimp, sausage and peas and cook for 5 more minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, place the clams, discarding any that are cracked or do not close when touched. Add wine to the depth of 1 inch, cover pan, and place over medium-high heat and cook until the shellfish open, about 5 minutes.

Add them to the paella 2 minutes before serving, discarding any clams that did not open.

Remove the paella from the stove and let rest for 5 minutes before serving from the pan.

Serves 8