Description
Nothing like a summer paella cooked outdoors. By a river, at the cottage, on your deck in the city. There are no rules. Except one! NO STIRRING the pan once the stock has been added. Just a quarter turn every few minutes.
Ingredients
* 2 cups bomba or arborio rice
* 3 Spanish chorizo, split and sliced 1/4-inch
* 4 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs
* 6 cups chicken stock, well-salted
* 3 plum tomatoes, canned or fresh
* A large pinch of saffron
* 2 tsp paprika
* 2 tsp smoked paprika
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 yellow onions, finely chopped
* 1 large green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
* 6 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
* 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
* 200g green or runner beans, in 2-inch lengths
* 1 small can snails, rinsed (optional)
* Kosher salt
Equipment
15-inch paella pan, box grater, spatula, chef's knife, cutting board
Method
Step 1: Prep The Veggies
* Halve the tomatoes, seed them, and grate the flesh on a box grater. Discard the skins.
* Chop the onions, green pepper, garlic, and beans.
Step 2: Salt The Stock
* Warm the stock. Add 2 tbsp kosher salt and stir. It should taste like a slightly too salty soup. This seasons the whole dish, so no salt goes anywhere else.
* Crush the saffron between your fingers into the stock. Reduce to low and simmer.
Step 3: Chicken And Sofrito
* Heat the oil over high heat. Sear the thighs on all sides until browned, then remove. No need to cook through.
* Add the onions and green pepper, 3 minutes. Reduce to medium and cook 8 minutes until caramelized.
* Stir in the garlic, 2 minutes. Add the rosemary and both paprikas, 1 minute.
* Add the grated tomato and cook 5 minutes until the liquid evaporates.
Step 4: Chorizo And Rice
* Add the chorizo and stir 1-2 minutes.
* Add the rice and stir to toast. Pack it down with a spatula to an even depth across the pan. That is the last stir.
Step 5: Stock, Chicken, Beans, Snails
* Heat still high, pour in the hot stock.
* Slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces and scatter in with the beans and snails.
* When the liquid drops below the rice, drop to medium-high if it starts to scorch.
* Once absorbed, kill the heat and rest before serving.
Happy summer, everyone.
