Paella
Author: Alex Recker
This paella recipe is a Chef John classic. Traditional paella is made with a special paella dish, but I find that it works just as well with a large cast iron skillet (but any heavy bottom, shallow, oven safe pan should do). Take the following ingredients only as a recommendation, as it pretty much works with any vegetables you have at your disposal. Apart from the rice and broth, the quantities listed here are very flexible, so just use whatever you know will fit in your trusty skillet.
Materials
- raw shrimp, shells set aside (1 lb)
- chicken broth (3 cups)
- saffron (3-4 threads)2
- olive oil (ex)
- sausage, diced (8 oz)
- pancetta, cubed (8 oz)
- yellow onion, diced (1/2)
- garlic, sliced (4 cloves)
- green bell pepper, diced
- red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- white rice, medium grain (2 cups)
- paprika (ex)
- dried oregano (ex)
- dried rosemary (ex)
- tomato paste (1 tbsp)
- salt (ex)
- olive oil (ex)
Procedure
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Sautee the shrimp shells in olive oil until they turn red and smell fragrant. Add the safron and toss. Add all the chicken broth and simmer for twenty minutes. Strain out the shrimp shells and continue to reduce on the side. You only need 2.5 cups total for the rice.
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Pre-heat the oven to 425F.
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Add olive oil to a large, flat cast iron pan. On medium heat, cook the sausage and pancetta together until the sausage turns brown and the pancetta just turns crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat into a bowl - leave the fat in the pan.
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Add diced onion. Sweat, but do not brown (there should be enough fat rendered out of the sausage to prevent browning).
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Add bell pepper1. Sweat for a few minutes until tender. Turn up the heat if the pan is getting crowded. Add salt to taste.
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Add the garlic, along with pepper, paprika, oregano, dried rosemary, and tomato paste. Stir to combine and leave on the heat until the spices smell fragrant.
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Once the garlic starts to soften, add a shot of cognac. Stir until the liquor evaporates, then add the sausage and rice. Gently combine all ing redients in the pan.
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Add exactly 2.5 cups of the warmed infused chicken broth to the pan all at once. Avoid stirring the mixture from here on out, but give it a little shake if you need to level it out. All the rice should be patted flat, under the surface of the liquid. Turn the heat all the way up, and while you wait for the mixture to simmer, arrange the shrimp around the top of the dish, pressing them into the rice.
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Sprinkle thinly sliced red peppers on top of the dish.
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Once the mixture is simmering (or once you're done arranging the shrimp), carefully place in the oven uncovered. Bake for 20 minutes.
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Remove the skillet from the oven and place it back on the stove. Cook over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
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Top with fresh parsley and a glug of olive oil. Serve with a wedge of lemon. Be sure to include some of the bottom Socarrat (burnt caramelized bits) on every plate.