Paella

Sometimes when you love cooking, slaving over a hot stove (errr green egg) in is more fun than going out. Somehow I convinced my husband to make paella with me. This was a first time to try Paella and i am a total fan.

The prep work is key. Everything MUST be prepped to make this work. We cooked it in a Paella pan on the green.

 

1.5 cups arborio risotto

4 cups chicken broth

1 large onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large red bell pepper, diced

1 cup frozen green peas

4 roma tomatoes, diced

4 ounces tomato paste

4 chicken thighs – bone in and skin on

1/2 pound chorizo sausage

1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

6 large shrimp cleaned and peeled

juice of 1 lemon

2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

 

Heat the chicken broth and dissolve the saffron in the broth. Keep this warm.

Make sure everything has been prepared. You should even measure all the spices.

Heat the grill. Cook the chicken thighs in oil until almost done. Remove from pan.

Cook the chorizo. Add in the onion, garlic, and pepper. Cook 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook 5 minutes. Stir constantly. Add rice. Add spices. Cover with 3/4 the chicken broth. Stop stirring. Place the chicken back on top.

Add more broth as needed. When the rice is tender (this took about 40 minutes), add the peas and shrimp. Cook 2-3 more minutes. Squeeze lemon juice over when plated.

All together this took about 1.5 hours to cook. It is not fast but well worth it.

My favorite parts of this dish are the slightly burned yummy dark flavorful pieces of rice. This made enough food for an army. It re-heated well but my husband and I ate it for 3 meals. I suggest inviting friends over!