Paella Italiana Recipes

PAELLA

Steps:

• Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub mixture all over chicken; marinate for 1 hour, covered, in refrigerator.
• Heat oil in paella pan over medium-high heat. Saute chorizio until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken skin side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper Remove chicken from pan and reserve.
• In sam pan, saute onions, garlic, and parsley for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Add tomatoes and cook until mixture carmelizes a bit and flavors meld. Fold in rice and stir-fry to coat grains. Pour in water and simmer fo 10 minutes, gently moving pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs liquid.
• Add chicken, chorizio, and saffron. Add clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. Shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook.
• Give paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until rice is al dente, about 15 minutes.
• During last 5 minutes of cooking, when rice is filling the pan, add lobster tails. When paella is cooked and rice looks fluffy and moist, turn heat up for 40 seconds until you can small the rice toast at the bottom of the pan. Then it's perfect!

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.

THE ULTIMATE PAELLA

Steps:

• Combine the paprika and oregano in a small bowl. Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
• Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve.
• In the same pan, make a sofrito by sauteing the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan, add the lobster tails. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it's perfect.
• Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.

PAELLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat oil in a large skillet or paella pan. Season and sear chicken pieces, then remove from the pan. Render the chorizo; add the onion, peppers, and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the rice, saute until golden, stirring so it won't burn. Add the seared chicken back to the pan, with the wine and saffron, and stir until all the wine is absorbed. Add 2 cups of chicken stock, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring until the rice absorbs the stock. Add the last cup of chicken stock, tomatoes, and the beer. Add the chicken, shrimp, clams, lobster, and mussels, tucking them into the rice.
• Bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes until mussels open. Add the peas and olives and bake for 2 more minutes. Top with thinly sliced roasted peppers.

THE ULTIMATE PAELLA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F (190 degrees C/gas 5.) Remove the end bits of bone from the chicken legs, then cut them in half. Cut the chicken breasts in half. Coat all the chicken pieces with flour and salt and pepper. Put some oil in a hot large flat pan and brown the chicken legs and thighs, skin side down, turning them to brown them all over. Transfer them to a small roasting tray and continue to cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes
• Add the chicken fillets to the pan and let them brown, then add the chorizo slices. Lay the slices of pancetta over the top. Once crisp, turn the heat down, add the onion and garlic to the pan, and allow to soften. Pour the infused saffron and some of the stock into the pan, and add the smoked paprika and rice, stirring continuously.
• Finely chop the parsley stalks and add to the pan. When the rice is almost cooked, add the peas, mussels, prawns and squid, adding more stock if necessary. Cover the pan with foil. When the chicken is cooked, add it to the pan, then add a large handful of chopped parsley leaves. Check the seasoning. Cut the lemon into wedges, place around the edge of the pan, and serve.