What Am I To Do With All This PAELLA? Eat it of Course!

Here is a new dish I have never tried before, Paella, a Spanish dish of rice, saffron, chicken, sausage, seafood and spices.  I usually don't venture too far out when cooking dinner, but this dish was so easy and it's all in one pan.  The family loved it, although they wanted it to be spicier, I don't like too much hot and spicy foods, but I passed the test with them and will make it again.

What started this dish is a little kitchen store I purchased the spices in when we were in Lititz.  I thought what the heck I'll try anything once, and I did and it was so delicious.  I combined a few recipes together to make it and it turned out great.  It's not hard to put the dish together so don't shy away from making it, you're using one pan.  Recipe below.

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So here are my ingredients - olive oil, chorizo sausage, chicken, shrimp, onion, garlic, parsley, saffron, my spice packet, salt, pepper, tomatoes, rice, lemon and peas.

For those who don't know what saffron is or looks like, this is it.  Saffron threads, as they are called, are the stamens from a small purple crocus.  I purchased my saffron from a spice store in Philadelphia.  As you can see you don't get much for the price, but also don't need much of it to color or flavor your food.  Saffron when steeped turns food a golden color, that's unique about it and what it's used for.  You can also purchase saffron in a powder form.

 Cooked up the chorizo, set aside.  Chorizo is a somewhat spicey Spanish sausage.

 Rub spices on the chicken and cook skin side down until crispy.

 The whole house smelled so good from the fragrance of the spices!

Sweet onion, garlic, parsley and lemon.

 Sauteing onion, garlic and parsley.

 Add in the tomatoes until caramelized, looking so good, and smells even better!

 Toast the rice and add water.  Put the chicken, and sausage back in and let simmer.

 In the last few minutes add the shrimp and peas.  Garnish with lemon slices and serve.

 See, I told you it was easy!  Look how good this looks for a weeknight dinner, AND it's something different to serve your family.

 PAELLA

Ingredients

Spice mix, recipe below

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 chicken thighs, skin on
3 chorizo sausages, cut in thick slices

2 tablespoons Paella spice mix 

salt and pepper

1/2 sweet onion, diced

2 big cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

3 cups medium grain white rice

5 cups water

pinch of saffron threads

1/2 lb raw jumbo shrimp

1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed

lemon wedges for garnish

Paella Spice Mix Blend - If you don't have paella spice on hand

a generous pinch of saffron threads

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 teaspoons oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more if you like more heat

Mix together and store in a tightly sealed jar.

Directions for Making Paella

Heat the olive oil in a large shallow pan over medium high heat.  Rub about a teaspoon of spice mix on the skin side of the chicken thighs, let them sit.  Saute the sausage until it is browned.  Remove from pan, set aside. Add the chicken skin side down in the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper on the side that is up.  Cook until the skin is crispy, all sides are browned, and juices are clear, turning as it is cooking.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Saute the onions, garlic and parsley for about 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes and remainder of spice mix and cook until all is caramelized.  Toss in the rice, stir to coat with juices and toast it. Pour in the water and add the saffron threads, simmer for about 10 minutes, gently stirring as it is cooking, so the rice absorbs the juices. Add the chicken and sausage back in and tuck the shrimp down in the rice so it cooks, they don't take long to cook, 7-8 minutes. Gently shake the pan and let it simmer, do not stir, and let it cook for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, toss in the peas to heat them through. Garnish with chopped parsley, fresh lemon slices and serve. There will be a nice crust of rice on the bottom of the pan that tastes wonderful! Makes 4 servings.