Paella, Please

I don't have any interesting family tales to tell about paella. In fact, I'd never even heard of paella, much less tasted it, until I was well an adult, and then it was an occasional indulgence and certainly not anything I would ever think about cooking myself. Then one day I was looking for a dish to serve with Sangria and, as luck would have it, the Sur La Table across the street was offering a paella class. I took it. Paella took me.

It would be impossible to love New Orleans food and not notice the dish's similarity to Jambalaya, which undoubtedly has its' roots in the Spanish Paella, introduced into the region when Spain held possession of Louisiana for four decades in late Eighteenth century. So, it would be safe to say if you like one, you'll like the other. As for me, it may be sacrilege to say, but I actually prefer the more subtle flavors of paella.

The key to making this paella is good quality short grain rice, Bomba rice, which you can usually find in most large supermarkets, or, that failing, order on-line. Choose your sausage, spicy or mild, depending on how piquant you like it, (in an homage to jambalaya, I use Andouille), and, yes, you will need a paella pan. There are many to choose from with price ranges from $19.99 all they way up to $250.00. If, like me, you just want to date paella before you marry it, I suggest a mid-range steel vessel. Expect to pay about $40, (do not, I repeat, do not go non-stick). Then, if you decide to commit, invest in one of those All-Clad big boys. (I'm saving up.)

It's a meal for a crowd in a pan. Just add a salad, maybe some good French bread, and, of course, Sangria. Oh, paella, where have you been all my life?!

MIXED PAELLA
(serves 6)

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
2 tablespoons hot water
1 3/4 cups Bomba rice
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 chicken thighs, skin-on
1/2 lb. spicy sausage (Andouille) sliced 1/4" thick
2 medium onions, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, pressed or crushed
1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (hot or mild to taste)
8 ounces green beans, broken into 1" pieces
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 lb. medium raw shrimp, shelled & deveined
1 lb. mussels (unopened & well scrubbed)
2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and sliced
Salt & black pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine

First thing I do is roast the peppers, usually earlier in the day. I half them and seed them, then put them under the boiler, skin side up on a lined cookie sheet, until the skins blister and brown. Pop them in a brown paper bag to cool, then peel and slice into strips.

Place saffron threads into a small bowl with the 2 tablespoons hot water and let soak. Meanwhile place rice in a strainer and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear to remove some of the starch. Set aside.

Put green beans in a small bowl with about a teaspoon of water and cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes, until just crisp tender. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a 14" paella pan or over proof skillet. Add chicken thighs and cook, turning frequently, until the skin is golden and crisp (about 8 minutes). Transfer to a plate. Add sliced sausage to the pan and cook a few minutes until beginning to crisp. Remove from pan to plate or bowl. Add shrimp to pan and stir until just pink (about 1 to 2 minutes). Remove shrimp to plate or bowl.

Add remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to pan. When hot, add chopped onion, garlic and paprika and cook until the onions are soft, but not brown. Add the rinsed rice and stir until the rice becomes translucent. Stir sausage slices, green beans and any accumulated juices into the rice. Stir in the chicken stock, saffron and soaking water.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken thighs on top of paella and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer, uncovered and without stirring, for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and almost all of the liquid has been absorbed.

Carefully stir in the reserved shrimp. Arrange the bell pepper slices on top and tuck the mussels, seam side up, into the paella. Put the pan into the preheated oven and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until the mussels have opened and the shrimp are cook. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.

NOTE: If after the initial 15 minutes of simmering there is still a lot of liquid in the paella, place the pan in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes before adding the peppers, shrimp and mussels. Alternately, for ease of preparation, the paella can be baked in the 400 degree oven instead of simmered on top of the stove. However, this method won't yield up the 'crunchy rice' bottom so prized by paella aficionados.