Betty Rockers Delicious Party Paella Recipes

SEAFOOD PAELLA

Steps:

• Discard any broken-shell or open (dead) mussels and clams. Scrub remaining mussels and clams in cold water, removing any barnacles with a dull paring knife. Remove beards from mussels. Place mussels and clams in large container. Cover with cool water. Agitate water with hand to remove sand; then drain and discard water. Repeat several times until water runs clear; drain.
• In small microwavable bowl, microwave 1/2 cup of the chicken broth uncovered on High 15 to 20 seconds or until hot. Place saffron in hot chicken broth; allow to rest about 5 minutes or until liquid is dark yellow. Set aside; do not discard saffron.
• In 14-inch paella pan or 4-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook onion, garlic and rice in oil 1 to 2 minutes or until onion is soft. Add shrimp, mussels, clams, peas, parsley, remainder of chicken broth, salt and saffron-infused broth.
• Heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover pan with foil. Cover foil with a wet towel, making sure no edges of towel hang over sides of pan. Cook 20 to 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, clams and mussels are open, shrimp is pink and rice is cooked.
• Removed unopened clams or mussels, and discard. Garnish with roasted peppers.

QUICK PAELLA

Steps:

• Melt margarine in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook rice, onion, bell pepper and garlic in margarine, stirring occasionally, until rice is light brown.
• Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered about 5 minutes or until rice is tender.

EASY PAELLA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Spray two 11x7-inch glass baking dishes with cooking spray. In medium bowl, toss shrimp and scallops with 1 tablespoon of the oil and generous pinch of the saffron threads; cover and refrigerate.
• In 4-quart Dutch oven, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Cook garlic and onions in oil about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are crisp-tender. Stir in tomatoes, artichokes and sausage. Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in rice. Spread half of rice mixture evenly in each baking dish.
• In 2-quart saucepan, heat broth, paprika and 1 teaspoon saffron threads to boiling. Pour 2 cups broth mixture evenly over rice mixture in each baking dish.
• Cover with foil. Bake 35 minutes. Place shrimp and scallops on rice mixture in each dish. Cover and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until shrimp are pink and scallops are white and opaque. Sprinkle with parsley.

PAELLA ON THE GRILL

Steps:

• Mix all Saffron Marinade ingredients. In glass or plastic dish or resealable food-storage plastic bag, place all Paella ingredients except rice. Pour marinade over mixture; stir to coat. Cover dish or seal bag and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. Remove chicken mixture from marinade; reserve marinade. Place chicken mixture in grill basket.
• Cover and grill chicken mixture 4 inches from medium heat 20 to 25 minutes, stirring and brushing with marinade occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in center. Discard any remaining marinade. Serve chicken mixture with rice.

PARTY PAELLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• In skillet add 1 tbsp oil, sauté chorizo until fat is rendered, remove.
• Add more oil, add chicken brown on both sides, remove.
• Heat chicken broth w/saffron, set aside.
• Add oil, onions, garlic, sauté until softened, add rice, stir to coat.
• Add wine, stir, add broth and spices, bring to boil, stirring.
• Let liquid reduce slightly, add peas, pimentos; stir.
• Add chicken, chorizo and stir.
• Place in oven, uncovered for 10 minutes.
• Add shrimp and mussels, stir, heat 10 minutes more until all liquid is absorbed.
• Remove mussels that don't open.
• Garnish with parsley.

WEEKNIGHT PAELLA

Steps:

• In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add rice mix and stir-fry vegetables; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until rice mix begins to brown.
• Stir in broth, water, bay leaf and seasoning packet from rice mix. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 5 minutes.
• Stir in sausage and peas. Add chicken pieces. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 10 minutes. Stir in shrimp. Cover; cook about 5 minutes or until shrimp and chicken are thoroughly heated. Remove bay leaf before serving.

PERFECT PAELLA

Steps:

• In a very wide pan or paella pan, preheated over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, add rice and saute 2 or 3 minutes. Add saffron threads, bay leaf, broth, and thyme and bring liquids to a boil over high heat. Cover the pan with lid or foil and reduce heat to simmer.
• In a separate nonstick skillet, over medium high heat brown chicken on both sides in 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add peppers and onions to the pan and cook 3 minutes longer. Add chorizo to the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Remove pan from heat.
• After about 13 minutes, add shellfish to the rice pan, nesting them in cooking rice. Pour in peas, scatter lemon zest over the rice and seafood, then cover the pan again. After 5 minutes, remove cover or foil from the paella and discard any unopened mussel shells. Stir rice and seafood mixture and lift out bay and thyme stems, now bare of their leaves. Arrange cooked chicken and peppers, onions and chorizo around the pan. Top with parsley and scallions. Serve with wedges of lemon and warm bread.

PARTY PAELLA

Steps:

• Disjoint the chicken wings, discarding the wing tips or reserving them for making stock. Place the remaining wing pieces in a large bowl. Mix three tablespoons of the olive oil with the lemon juice and cumin. Season this mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken wings, cover and allow to marinate one to four hours.
• Up to two hours before serving time, steam the mussels. Bring the wine to a simmer in a large pot, add the mussels, cover tightly and cook over medium heat until they open, about 10 minutes. Leave the mussels in the covered pan until shortly before serving time.
• Saute the chorizos over medium heat in a six-quart casserole until they are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the casserole, draining them well, and set them aside on a plate covered with a paper towel. Leave the fat in the casserole. Add the remaining olive oil to the casserole.
• Add the onions and peppers to the casserole and cook over low heat, stirring, until the vegetables are soft but not brown. Stir in the garlic, cook briefly, then add the oregano. Stir in the rice and cook for several minutes, stirring, until the rice is well coated with the other ingredients. Remove the casserole from the heat.
• Drain the canned tomatoes, pricking them to drain the liquid inside. Reserve all the tomato liquid and chop the tomatoes fine. Stir the chopped tomatoes in with the rice.
• Measure the reserved tomato liquid. You should have about a cup and a half. Add a little water if necessary to make this amount. Place the tomato liquid in a saucepan along with the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in the saffron, remove from the heat and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the cooled chorizo into rounds a half-inch thick.
• Place the casserole over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. Stir in the pieces of chorizo, then stir in the tomato and chicken stock seasoned with the saffron. Bring to a simmer and add salt and pepper, if necessary. Cover and cook over low heat until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is done, which should take about 20 minutes. Set aside, covered for at least 20 minutes.
• While the rice is cooking, remove the shrimps from the refrigerator so they can come to room temperature.
• Preheat a broiler. Place the marinated chicken wings on a broiling pan and broil until they are browned and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Turn them once during the cooking. Transfer them to a large platter or bowl, cover with foil and set aside.
• To serve, spoon the rice gently into one or more large mixing bowls to fluff it. Do not fill the bowls more than half full or you will have rice all over the floor. Taste the rice for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if necessary, so that the seasoning will need no further adjusting.
• Gently fold the capers, parsley, shrimp and chicken wings in with the rice.
• Warm a large serving platter or shallow bowl. Even a big paella pan can be used as a serving dish. Transfer some or all of the paella to the platter or bowl. If there is not enough room for all the paella on one platter, you can use two platters or keep some of the paella reserved in the kitchen for refilling the platter.
• Briefly reheat the mussels in their broth, then arrange them, in their shells, around the edge of the platter, alternating them with the lemon wedges. Place the platter on the buffet table along with serving spoons. After all the guests have served themselves, rearrange the paella on the platter, refilling the platter, if necessary, or transferring the remaining paella to a smaller platter so it continues to look attractive.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN WITH DRIED APRICOTS & PRUNES

Steps:

• Combine all above ingredients (****EXCEPT brown sugar & white wine) into marinade. Place chicken in a zip lock bag or a baking dish that can be tightly sealed. Cover the chicken with marinade. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight if possible.
• One hour before baking: Time to arrange in the baking dish and bring to room temperature before cooking.
• Distribute chicken in single layer in baking pan, DO NOT discard the marinade. Pour it over the chicken with all the other marinade ingredients. Sprinkle brown sugar over the chicken breasts and pour white wine around the breasts.
• Preheat oven: Cook UNCOVERED at 325 for 50 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. Cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts. Cook to 165°F
• Arrange cooked chicken breasts on a platter, top with the sauce and other ingredients.
• NOTE:.
• This recipe yields a lot of sauce, so you can double the chicken content without having to double the marinade. It's nice because you can make it all ahead of time!