Saffron Portuguese Paella Recipes

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.

SAFFRON SHRIMP PAELLA

Steps:

• In a medium heavy skillet with 2-inch sides, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook for 6 minutes until softened, stirring often. Stir in the garlic, saffron, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Add broth and rice.
• Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to low; cover and simmer for 12 minutes until the rice is almost tender. Nestle the shrimp and peas in the rice, and add 1/4 cup (or more) of the broth to moisten. Cover and cook until the shrimp are just opaque in the center, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

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.

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.

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.

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.

PAELLA VALENCIANA

Steps:

• 1. In a saucepot over medium-high heat, bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the saffron. Reserve the stock warm over medium-low heat.
• 2. In a medium-size paella pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the chicken to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 5 to 6 minutes.
• 3. Add the peppers, carrots, onion, and chorizo, and sauté until the vegetables just start to tenderize, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the rice and toast, stirring frequently, until it just becomes translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.
• 4. Add enough of the warm stock to the pan to just cover the rice, and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• 5. Arrange the seafood and peas over the rice, add the lemon juice, re-cover, and continue simmering until the seafood is cooked through and shellfish have opened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the cooked paella from the heat and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with lemon wedges.