Next Level Paella Recipes

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.

Steps:

• To make the sofrito, pulse together the onion and pepper in the bowl of a food processor to break them down. Pulse in the jalapeno and garlic and then add the cilantro and tomatoes and puree into a course mixture. Set aside.
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a paella pan over medium heat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and then add them to the pan skin-side down. Cook without moving too much until golden brown and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Add the chorizo to the pan and cook until it has rendered its fat. Add in the sofrito with a good pinch of salt and cook until fragrant and the sofrito begins to toast and dry out, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and toast until rusty in color, about 1 minute.
• Add the rice and toast briefly. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the paprika and cumin and then slowly add the stock, stirring as you add. Nestle the chicken back into the pan and bring to a simmer. Arrange the clams around the chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Add the mussels and shrimp and cover the pan. Cook until the clams and mussels have opened and the rice is tender and crisp on the bottom, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Discard any clams or mussels that didn't open. Garnish with freshly ground pepper and some torn cilantro. Serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, or as near as you can. Warm the stock in a saucepan with the saffron. Place a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. One minute later, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add the rice, and cook, stirring occasionally, until glossy -- just a minute or two. Season liberally with salt and pepper, and add the warmed stock, taking care to avoid the rising steam. Stir in the shrimp, and transfer the pan to the oven.
• Bake about 25 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is dry on top. Garnish, and serve immediately.

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the onions and cubanelle and bell peppers to break them down. Pulse in the jalapeño and garlic, then add the cilantro and puree into a coarse mixture. Set the sofrito aside.
• In two 10-inch paella pans (you can also use a large paella pan, if you like), heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add the shrimp and sear on both sides until three-quarters of the way cooked, 3 to 4 minutes total, then transfer to a plate. Add the sausage and cook, turning once, until the casings are crispy, then transfer to a plate. Add the reserved sofrito, the grated tomatoes and a good pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until any liquid has evaporated and the sofrito begins caramelize.
• Stir in the tomato paste, then add the rice and toast briefly. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add the cumin, paprika and reserved sausage, then slowly add half of the stock and stir until the liquid comes to a simmer. Repeat with the remaining stock, then let the paella cook, undisturbed, until the rice is tender or until the liquid is almost gone, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, remove the shells from the shrimp, leaving the heads intact. When the rice is tender, scatter the shrimp over the top and cook until the liquid has evaporated and the rice is crisp on the bottom, about 5 minutes more. Drizzle with olive oil, top with cilantro and serve.

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken pieces evenly with salt and 18 turns of pepper. Pat in seasoning with your hands. Heat oil in a large deep saucepan over high heat. Add chicken and sear until brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Add onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic, sausage and rice and stir-fry 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, Worcestershire, hot sauce, bay leaves, Creole seasoning and saffron and simmer 1 minute. Add stock, stir well and bring to a boil. Cover and cook 4 minutes.
• Add lobster, tucking pieces into rice, cover and cook 4 minutes. Add clams, cover and cook 4 minutes. Add mussels and shrimp, cover and cook until rice is tender and shellfish are opened, about 3 minutes. Discard any mussels or clams that have not opened.
• Remove bay leaves and serve in large shallow bowls. Place empty bowls on table for shells.

Steps:

• Make the sofrito: In a heavy 12-inch skillet heat 3 tablespoons olive oil until hot, add the onions, and pepper strips and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring for 5 minutes more, until most of the liquid in the pan evaporates and the mixture is thick.
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In the skillet heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over moderately high heat until hot. Add the chicken and cook it, turning. Add sausages and cook until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate and deglaze pan with 1/2 cup dry white wine.
• About a 30 minutes before you plan to serve the paella, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a 14-inch paella pan or shallow casserole at least 14-inches in diameter, combine the sofrito, rice, and the saffron. Pour in 5 cups simmering stock and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the pan from the heat immediately and season with salt. Arrange the chicken, sausage, shrimp, clams, and mussels on top of the rice. Set the pan on the floor of the oven or the lowest shelf and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Scatter the peas at random over the whole and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more or until all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice and the grains are tender but not too soft. If necessary, add the remaining cup stock, if the rice needs to be more soft. Do not stir the paella once it goes in oven.
• Let paella stand at room temperature covered with a cloth for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with the lemons and parsley.

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.

Steps:

• Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add about 1/2 pound of meat (or a combination of meats), sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until nicely browned. Add one chopped onion and some minced bell pepper at the same time if you like and cook until soft. (If you want a meatless paella, skip right to the onion.)
• Add 2 cups rice and (if you have it) a pinch of saffron and cook, stirring, until shiny. Add 3 1/2 cups of your liquid of choice, heated, and stir until just combined, then stir in seafood (or lay it on top of the rice). Again, skip the seafood if you want vegetarian paella.
• Cook over medium-high heat, undisturbed. If the pan is too big for your burner, move it around a little; but after that initial stirring, leave it alone. When the mixture starts to dry, begin tasting the rice; if the liquid amount seems O.K., keep going. If the rice seems quite tough, add another 1/2 cup or so of liquid. And if you can smell the bottom starting to burn, lower the heat a bit. About halfway through the cooking (about 10 minutes), add any vegetables, adjust seasonings and stir gently, just once.
• The rice is done when tender and still a bit moist; if the mixture has stuck to the bottom of the pan, congratulations: you have socarrat, a characteristic of good paella. This should be served in the pan, in the middle of the table, and dinner guests - up to six - should fight over it.