Portuguese Paella Recipes

SAFFRON PORTUGUESE PAELLA

Steps:

• Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towel.
• Season with salt and pepper. Saute chicken and ham hocks in 1/4 cup of olive oil until golden.
• Remove chicken, leaving ham hocks in pot, and saute garlic, onion and rice for a few minutes.
• Add chicken back to skillet on top of rice. Tuck in seafood and sausage.
• Add chicken stock or broth, wine, saffron and bell pepper. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle peas on top, and cover again and continue to cook an additional 10 minutes and serve.

PORTUGUESE PAELLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Sprinkle chicken with rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper.
• Heat oil in a large oven proof nonstick skillet or paella pan over medium-high heat.
• Add chicken; cook for 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
• Remove chicken from pan; cover and keep warm.
• Add chourice and cook until lightly browned;.
• Add onion and bell pepper; cook for 7 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add rice, tomato, paprika, saffron and garlic; cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
• Return chicken to pan.
• Add broth and 1/4 teaspoon of salt; bring to boil.
• Wrap handle of pan with foil, cover pan;.
• Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes.
• Stir in shrimp, asparagus, and peas.
• Cover and bake an additional 5 minutes or until shrimp are no longer translucent.

NOODLE PAELLA

Steps:

• Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a 6-quart Dutch oven. Add the sausages and stir, breaking up the sausages into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken and sausage to a medium bowl, using a slotted spoon.
• Add the garlic, fennel, onion, bell pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to the pan. Cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add the clam juice, tomatoes with juices, paprika, saffron, cayenne and bay leaves. Add the spaghetti and cook, uncovered, until almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Return the chicken and sausage to the pan. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add the halibut, clams and shrimp. Cover and cook until the clams open, 4 to 5 minutes. Discard any unopened clams. Remove the cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until fish, shrimp and chicken are just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in the parsley and serve.

PORTUGUESE SEAFOOD CATAPLANA

Steps:

• In a cataplana pan or shallow-sided pot with cover, heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until lightly browned. Add the shallots, if using, and garlic. Cook until softened and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the clams, shrimp, tomatoes, wine and some paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and steam gently over medium to medium-low heat just until the clams open and the shrimp are pink, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Taste for seasoning. Sprinkle with the remaining oil, chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon. Serve directly out of the pan.

PAELLA VALENCIANA

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the oil in a pan. Add the strips of pepper and fry until they start to soften. Remove and reserve for garnish. Fry the chicken and rabbit at medium heat until golden brown, adding more oil, as necessary. Add the paprika half way through to add color to meat. Push the meat out to the edges of the pan and add the beans and tomatoes in the center, mixing them well. Add 1/2 the water making sure to cover the pan until it is 1/2 full. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes until most of the water has evaporated. Add the snails and cook for 5 or 10 minutes.
• Add the rice, distributing it evenly over the pan and fry for a few minutes, moving it around in the pan. Add the rest of the water and cook for about 20 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add a pinch of saffron for colour. Once this is done the paella should not be stirred anymore.
• For the last 1 to 2 minutes increase the heat to medium-high, until the bottom layer of rice starts to caramelize, creating what Valencians call the "socarrat". If the rice starts to burn remove the pan from the heat immediately.
• Garnish the paella with the strips of red pepper and the sprigs of rosemary. Cover the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

FIRE PIT PAELLA WITH PORTUGUESE SAUSAGE, CRAB AND ESCARGOT

Steps:

• Heat a gas or charcoal grill to high.
• Put a 17-inch paella pan on the grill. Add the olive oil and when the oil is smoking, add the onions and saute until the onions are translucent about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and linguica breaking it down into small pieces. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and the seasoning blend and saute until the rice is coated, about 2 minutes.
• Once the rice is completely coated add the chicken stock. When the liquid starts to boil reduce heat to a simmer. If using a charcoal grill this should happen naturally as you progress, if not adjust the height by moving your pan away from the heat. When the liquid is at a simmer start adding the seafood; escargot, chicken, and all the shellfish, halibut and crab, spreading them throughout the pan. You are not going to be moving the ingredients in the pan so make sure they are evenly distributed.
• Spread the red pepper strips, frozen peas, and hard-boiled quail eggs throughout the surface of the paella. Add the piri piri sauce into the paella if you like an extra kick.
• When all the ingredients are in the pan the cook time should be 20 minutes. You will know when the liquid is fully absorbed, clams and mussel shells are open, and the rice is just past al dente.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Put lemon quarters into the pan, cover with a couple of dish towels and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
• Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Amounts can be adjusted to your liking.
• Put the chicken in a large stock pot and cover with the water. Bring the water to boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to a rolling simmer. Cook the chicken until completely tender, about 45 minutes.
• Remove chicken from the pot to a bowl or platter and let cool. Continue simmering the water in pot. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it off the bone and set aside. Reserve some of the chicken bones. The chicken will be used in the paella at a later time.
• In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, rosemary, and thyme. Once the oil is fragrant add the onions and chicken bones and saute for 5 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, salt, peppercorns and saffron. Add the simmering water that was used to cook the chicken. Simmer the stock for at least 2 hours, skimming the fat from the surface. Strain the stock and keep warm until ready to use.

AUTHENTIC PAELLA

Steps:

• Rinse the rice with cold water; drain; set aside. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to low, cover, and keep warm. Work the garlic, parsley, curry powder, saffron threads, salt, black pepper, and 1/2 cup of the hot chicken stock together with a mortar and pestle until a smooth liquid forms; set the seasoning liquid aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat; cook and stir the onion until lightly browned. Stir in the chicken, shrimp, lobster, and clams; cook and stir until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes. Pour in the seasoning liquid.
• Stir in the rice, pour in the hot chicken stock, and simmer until the rice is nearly tender, about 15 minutes. Add mushrooms, peas, and mussels; stir two times, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand until rice is soft and flaky, about 7 minutes.

AUTHENTIC PAELLA VALENCIANA

Steps:

• Heat a paella pan over medium-high heat, and coat with olive oil. Add the chicken, rabbit and garlic; cook and stir until nicely browned. Move the browned meat to the sides of the pan, and add the tomato, butter beans, peas, and green beans. Season with paprika, and mix well.
• Fill the paella pan almost to the top with water, measuring the water as you put it in. This is to help you to determine how much rice to add, as paella pans come in different sizes. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 1 hour to make a nice broth.
• Season with a generous amount of salt, and just enough saffron to make a nice yellow color. Season with thyme and rosemary if desired. The goal is to make a rich tasting broth that will soak into the rice to make it delicious. Stir in half as much rice as the amount of water in the pan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

EASY PAELLA

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons olive oil, paprika, oregano, and salt and pepper. Stir in chicken pieces to coat. Cover, and refrigerate.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, red pepper flakes, and rice. Cook, stirring, to coat rice with oil, about 3 minutes. Stir in saffron threads, bay leaf, parsley, chicken stock, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Stir in marinated chicken and onion; cook 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and sausage; cook 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp; cook, turning the shrimp, until both sides are pink.
• Spread rice mixture onto a serving tray. Top with meat and seafood mixture.

PAELLA, PORTUGUESE STYLE

Steps:

• Wipe chicken with damp paper towels.
• In hot oil in large skillet (10 inch), brown chicken, about 5 pieces at a time, until golden brown all over. Remove chicken as it browns.
• Add pork cubes to skillet and brown well on all sides. Remove.
• To drippings in skillet, add onion, garlic, pepper and oregano; saute, stirring, until onion is golden, about 5 minutes.
• Add salt, rice and saffron; cook, stirring, until rice is lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in another skillet, brown sausage well, turning on all sides, about 10 minutes. Cut in half crosswise. Drain and discard grease.
• Place chicken, sausage and pork in large roasting pan, about 17" x 11".
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Add tomatoes, bay leaf and chicken broth to rice mixture; bring to boil. Add shrimp; spoon mixture evenly over chicken and sausage in pan.
• Bake, covered with foil (tuck foil tightly around), 1 hour.
• If mixture seems dry, add 1/2 cup water. Sprinkle peas over top without stirring. Bake, covered, 20 minutes longer, or until chicken and pork are tender and peas are cooked.
• To serve, turn paella into heated round serving platter or paella pan. Garnish with pimiento slices and lemon wedges.

AUTHENTIC SEAFOOD PAELLA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over high heat. Cook and stir onion, tomato, salt, and smoked paprika into the hot oil until softened, about 3 minutes. Add romano beans, butter beans, and rice; cook and stir until rice is coated with oil, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Place shrimp, mussels, and clams over the top of the rice mixture. Pour in white wine and seafood stock; sprinkle in saffron threads and rosemary. Bring mixture to a simmer. Turn shellfish and continue to cook until clams and mussels have opened, and shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove clams, mussels, and shrimp and set aside.
• Stir peas into the paella; simmer, uncovered, until rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in squid, and return clams, mussels, and shrimp to the pan. Cook until squid is opaque and cooked through, 2 to 3 more minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and chopped parsley.

K'S PORTUGUESE PAELLA

Steps:

• Season chicken breast with salt and pepper. Sauté in 1/4 cup of olive oil on medium high heat until lightly golden brown. Remove chicken and set aside. In same oil sauté onions, garlic and 2 cups of uncooked rice for a few minutes. Add chicken back to skillet on top of rice and tuck in seafood and chorizo/sausage. Mixed chicken broth, wine, and saffron than pour into skillet. Add bell pepper cover and simmer on a medium low heat for 20 minutes. Sprinkle peas on the cover and simmer for 10 more minutes. Mixed together and serve.

AUTHENTIC SPANISH PAELLA

Steps:

• It's best to have all of your ingredients prepared before you start cooking.
• Prepare the rabbit by separating the legs, cutting remaining meat into small slices and lightly salting. (In my area rabbit is seasonal. During the summer and fall I substitute with chicken legs).
• I peel my shrimp, leaving only the tail and then salt them. In Spain they tend to leave the shrimp unshelled.
• I always try to make my chicken stock from scratch (time permitting), adding a bit of rosemary, a tiny pinch of saffron and a bit of thyme. If you're going to use bouillon, I'd recommend at least heating it up with these herbs and then straining before you start.
• Keep your stock hot but not boiling as you cook.
• Coat the bottom of your pallera/pan with olive oil.
• Brown your chorizo over high heat for 1-2 minutes. Do not fully cook, just get the outside well browned. Set aside. This should add a nice red color and a hell of a flavor to your oil.
• Brown the Rabbit for 2-3 minutes. It should not be fully cooked. Set aside.
• Brown garlic, onion and bell pepper until they're softened, adding plum tomatoes shortly before the mixture is finished.
• Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and on the other add the half can of tomato paste. Caramelize it, flipping it and spreading it until it begins to loosen (1-2 min over hight heat).
• Mix all of the vegetables and meats together with the caramelized tomato paste also adding the paprika, parsley and thyme.
• Add rice, mixing together and stirring as the rice browns (1-1 1/2) minutes. As the rice browns mix in the saffron. Make sure to break it between your fingers and stir it in to release all those tasty oils.
• When the rice is slightly translucent add enough chicken stock to cover the whole mixture. If it's been kept warm, it will begin to boil almost immediately. Lower to a medium heat but keep it at a steady boil.
• This is where paella is made and broken. I stir a few times in the first 5-10 minutes, adding broth as necessary to keep the rice fully covered. After this you must let the paella SIT! Let it cook another 10-20 minutes (I find that this step takes longer on a stovetop), adding broth bit by bit to keep the rice submerged until the rice on the top is al dente. Don't worry about rice burning to the bottom, this part (which actually has a name which escapes me at the moment, it's something like socarrat) is a tasty delicacy.
• Once you've stirred the paella for the last time and are letting cook, when you have about 8 minutes left to cook lay shrimp on top, turning over after 2-4 minutes to cook other side.
• When the rice on top is still quite al dente, take paella off of heat and cover. You must let it sit for 15-20 minutes. I've taken the lid off prematurely and ended up with a crunchy mess. Patience is the key.
• Once you're sure it's ready uncover, garnish with lemon wedges and enjoy!