This is my best approximation of how I remember my father making paella. He never wrote down his own recipe-the written version we have is him copying a cookbook version for my friend’s mother. Over the years I have adapted that Penelope Casas recipe to come as close as possible to his, and now that I can do it in my sleep, I am the one who is having a hard time writing it down the way I typically make it.
Chicho’s Paella
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron
- 4 chicken thighs
- 4 small chorizo diced
- 1 pound Shrimp
- 1 pound cod, halibut, or other white fish optional
- 1 or 2 dozen small clams and/or mussels optional
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 – 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 roasted red peppers diced or strips
- 3 cups rice
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup small peas fresh or frozen
- 5 tablespoon parsley chopped
Instructions
- In a small pot, bring the chicken stock with the saffron to a low simmer.
- In the paella pan, brown the chicken in olive oil. Remove to a plate when barely cooked through, and allow to cool before cutting into cubes.
- Add onions and garlic to the paella pan to cook in the chicken fat until translucent.
- Add the pimentos and chorizo to the pan, stir until warmed through, about 1 minute.
- Add the shrimp and cook on both sides until just pink, then use tongs to remove shrimp to a plate.
- Add the rice to the pan and stir well to coat.
- Add most of the parsley; save a bit for garnish.
- Stir in the chicken broth, wine, and juice of half the lemon. Add salt to taste, and simmer about 5 minutes.
- Add peas, chicken, and shrimp, and stir gently to combine. Cook about 5 minutes.
- While there is still plenty of liquid, bury the cubes of fish, clams, and mussels throughout the rice, making sure the shellfish will open facing upwards.
- Simmer roughly 20 min until liquid is absorbed and rice is al dente. Do not stir, but use your spoon to lift the rice as needed to redistribute broth.
- Turn off the heat and cover the paella with a dish towel to steam for 5 or 10 min.
- Garnish with remaining parsley and squeeze the rest of the lemon over everything then serve.