Party 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:

• 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:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• In skillet add 1 tbsp oil, sauté chorizo until fat is rendered, remove.
• Add more oil, add chicken brown on both sides, remove.
• Heat chicken broth w/saffron, set aside.
• Add oil, onions, garlic, sauté until softened, add rice, stir to coat.
• Add wine, stir, add broth and spices, bring to boil, stirring.
• Let liquid reduce slightly, add peas, pimentos; stir.
• Add chicken, chorizo and stir.
• Place in oven, uncovered for 10 minutes.
• Add shrimp and mussels, stir, heat 10 minutes more until all liquid is absorbed.
• Remove mussels that don't open.
• Garnish with parsley.

Steps:

• Disjoint the chicken wings, discarding the wing tips or reserving them for making stock. Place the remaining wing pieces in a large bowl. Mix three tablespoons of the olive oil with the lemon juice and cumin. Season this mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken wings, cover and allow to marinate one to four hours.
• Up to two hours before serving time, steam the mussels. Bring the wine to a simmer in a large pot, add the mussels, cover tightly and cook over medium heat until they open, about 10 minutes. Leave the mussels in the covered pan until shortly before serving time.
• Saute the chorizos over medium heat in a six-quart casserole until they are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the casserole, draining them well, and set them aside on a plate covered with a paper towel. Leave the fat in the casserole. Add the remaining olive oil to the casserole.
• Add the onions and peppers to the casserole and cook over low heat, stirring, until the vegetables are soft but not brown. Stir in the garlic, cook briefly, then add the oregano. Stir in the rice and cook for several minutes, stirring, until the rice is well coated with the other ingredients. Remove the casserole from the heat.
• Drain the canned tomatoes, pricking them to drain the liquid inside. Reserve all the tomato liquid and chop the tomatoes fine. Stir the chopped tomatoes in with the rice.
• Measure the reserved tomato liquid. You should have about a cup and a half. Add a little water if necessary to make this amount. Place the tomato liquid in a saucepan along with the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in the saffron, remove from the heat and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the cooled chorizo into rounds a half-inch thick.
• Place the casserole over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. Stir in the pieces of chorizo, then stir in the tomato and chicken stock seasoned with the saffron. Bring to a simmer and add salt and pepper, if necessary. Cover and cook over low heat until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is done, which should take about 20 minutes. Set aside, covered for at least 20 minutes.
• While the rice is cooking, remove the shrimps from the refrigerator so they can come to room temperature.
• Preheat a broiler. Place the marinated chicken wings on a broiling pan and broil until they are browned and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Turn them once during the cooking. Transfer them to a large platter or bowl, cover with foil and set aside.
• To serve, spoon the rice gently into one or more large mixing bowls to fluff it. Do not fill the bowls more than half full or you will have rice all over the floor. Taste the rice for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if necessary, so that the seasoning will need no further adjusting.
• Gently fold the capers, parsley, shrimp and chicken wings in with the rice.
• Warm a large serving platter or shallow bowl. Even a big paella pan can be used as a serving dish. Transfer some or all of the paella to the platter or bowl. If there is not enough room for all the paella on one platter, you can use two platters or keep some of the paella reserved in the kitchen for refilling the platter.
• Briefly reheat the mussels in their broth, then arrange them, in their shells, around the edge of the platter, alternating them with the lemon wedges. Place the platter on the buffet table along with serving spoons. After all the guests have served themselves, rearrange the paella on the platter, refilling the platter, if necessary, or transferring the remaining paella to a smaller platter so it continues to look attractive.

Steps:

• Disjoint the chicken wings, discarding the wing tips or reserving them for making stock. Place the remaining wing pieces in a large bowl. Mix three tablespoons of the olive oil with the lemon juice and cumin. Season this mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken wings, cover and allow to marinate one to four hours.
• Up to two hours before serving time, steam the mussels. Bring the wine to a simmer in a large pot, add the mussels, cover tightly and cook over medium heat until they open, about 10 minutes. Leave the mussels in the covered pan until shortly before serving time.
• Saute the chorizos over medium heat in a six-quart casserole until they are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the casserole, draining them well, and set them aside on a plate covered with a paper towel. Leave the fat in the casserole. Add the remaining olive oil to the casserole.
• Add the onions and peppers to the casserole and cook over low heat, stirring, until the vegetables are soft but not brown. Stir in the garlic, cook briefly, then add the oregano. Stir in the rice and cook for several minutes, stirring, until the rice is well coated with the other ingredients. Remove the casserole from the heat.
• Drain the canned tomatoes, pricking them to drain the liquid inside. Reserve all the tomato liquid and chop the tomatoes fine. Stir the chopped tomatoes in with the rice.
• Measure the reserved tomato liquid. You should have about a cup and a half. Add a little water if necessary to make this amount. Place the tomato liquid in a saucepan along with the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in the saffron, remove from the heat and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the cooled chorizo into rounds a half-inch thick.
• Place the casserole over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. Stir in the pieces of chorizo, then stir in the tomato and chicken stock seasoned with the saffron. Bring to a simmer and add salt and pepper, if necessary. Cover and cook over low heat until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is done, which should take about 20 minutes. Set aside, covered for at least 20 minutes.
• While the rice is cooking, remove the shrimps from the refrigerator so they can come to room temperature.
• Preheat a broiler. Place the marinated chicken wings on a broiling pan and broil until they are browned and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Turn them once during the cooking. Transfer them to a large platter or bowl, cover with foil and set aside.
• To serve, spoon the rice gently into one or more large mixing bowls to fluff it. Do not fill the bowls more than half full or you will have rice all over the floor. Taste the rice for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if necessary, so that the seasoning will need no further adjusting.
• Gently fold the capers, parsley, shrimp and chicken wings in with the rice.
• Warm a large serving platter or shallow bowl. Even a big paella pan can be used as a serving dish. Transfer some or all of the paella to the platter or bowl. If there is not enough room for all the paella on one platter, you can use two platters or keep some of the paella reserved in the kitchen for refilling the platter.
• Briefly reheat the mussels in their broth, then arrange them, in their shells, around the edge of the platter, alternating them with the lemon wedges. Place the platter on the buffet table along with serving spoons. After all the guests have served themselves, rearrange the paella on the platter, refilling the platter, if necessary, or transferring the remaining paella to a smaller platter so it continues to look attractive.

Steps:

• Place chicken in a large bowl and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with paprika; turn chicken to coat. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; meanwhile prepare an ice-water bath. With a paring knife, core tomatoes and score an X on the bottoms. Working in batches, carefully lower them into boiling water; when skins begin to split, after 30 to 60 seconds, use a slotted spoon to transfer tomatoes to ice-water bath.
• When tomatoes are cool, remove skins (using a paring knife, if necessary) and discard. Halve tomatoes. Remove seeds with a spoon, and discard. Finely chop tomatoes.
• Cut peppers crosswise and into 1/4-inch strips; set aside. Using a mortar and pestle, grind together saffron and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Add saffron mixture to a medium bowl and add 1 cup chicken stock and cognac. Whisk until well combined, set aside.
• Heat an 18-inch paella pan with at least 2-inch sides over two burners set at medium-high heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with remaining tablespoon olive oil. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook, turning, until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Season pork and add to pan. Cook, turning, until browned, about 6 minutes more.
• Add peppers, onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Cook, stirring, about 8 minutes. Add calamari and shrimp and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes more.
• Add rice to pan and stir to coat. Add reserved saffron mixture and let cook about 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups more stock and bring to a boil. Cook, rotating pan and stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. If rice appears dry around edges add more stock as necessary. Nestle clams, mussels, and peas into rice and add 1 cup stock. Cook, stirring occasionally, adding more stock as necessary (you may not need to use all the stock), until rice is tender, shellfish has opened, and nearly all the liquid has evaporated from the pan, about 20 minutes.
• Turn heat to high. Add haricot vert, and stir to combine. Cook, without stirring, until vegetables are warmed through, and remaining liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large shallow pot over medium-high heat. Add sausages and sauté until cooked through, turning often, about 10 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add chicken, skin side down, to pot. Cover and cook until brown, about 6 minutes. Turn chicken over, cover and cook until brown and cooked through, about 8 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to bowl with sausages. Add onions and 10 chopped garlic cloves to pot; sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves; stir 2 minutes. Stir in zucchini and bell peppers. Transfer to another large bowl.
• Toss shrimp with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1 minced garlic clove and generous pinch of saffron in medium bowl. (Chicken-sausage mixture, vegetable mixture and shrimp mixture can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush one 18 x 12 x 2 1/4-inch roasting pan with olive oil. Mix rice and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt into vegetable mixture. Spread rice mixture evenly in prepared pan. Cut sausages diagonally into 1-inch slices. Using wooden spoon, push sausage and chicken pieces into rice mixture; pour any juices from bowl over. Bring 5 cups chicken broth, paprika and remaining 1/4 teaspoon saffron to boil in medium saucepan. Pour evenly over rice mixture. Cover roasting pan tightly with foil. Bake until rice is almost tender, about 40 minutes.
• Sprinkle shrimp mixture with salt and pepper. Arrange atop rice mixture. Cover pan with foil; bake until shrimp are opaque in center, rice is tender and most of liquid in pan is absorbed, about 20 minutes longer. Sprinkle with parsley. Spoon paella onto plates and serve.