Paella at Kitchen Conservaory

I had a great time at Kitchen Conservatory last night teaching a class on Tapas, Paella and Sangria.  Here is a picture of the Paella Valencia.

This is probably the most famous paella containing chorizo, chicken, and shellfish.  Paella takes its name from the pan in which it is cooked.  It is a wide shallow pan that is often cooked on a grill in Spain.  We did it on the stove top for this class.

Don't be intimidated by the list of ingredients, it is a great party dish.

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds large (15 to 20 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound Spanish Chorizo, thinly sliced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tomato, chopped
1 red pepper, roasted and chopped
2 1/4 cups short grain rice-Calaspara or Arborio
1 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon Saffron dissolved in a combination of 1 3/4 cups chicken stock and 1 3/4 cups clam juice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt add to the stock mixture
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Additional stock, as needed
15 mussels, cleaned
15 small clams, cleaned, Manila if possible
1 cup green peas
Chopped fresh parsley and cilantro

In the paella pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil, and briefly sauté the shrimp 1-2 minutes, remove the shrimp from the pan and reserve.

Add the chorizo to the hot pan and briefly sauté-remove and reserve.

Add the remaining oil and sauté the chicken.  Add the onion, garlic and pepper to the pan and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the rice and continue to stir cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, add the shrimp and chorizo back to the pan, add the cayenne and black peppers, and stir to combine.

Add the wine and let some of it evaporate, add the stocks and saffron.  Cover the pan with foil and bring the mixture to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove the cover and push the clams and mussels (hinged side down) into the rice mixture, scatter the peas across the top of everything.  Add additional stock if the rice seems dry or is sticking.  Cover and continue cooking until the mussels and clams are opened.  Garnish with the chopped parsley and cilantro.

Let the Paella sit for 5 minutes before serving.