Paella Valenciana

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken – wings or drumettes work well
• 2 teaspoon smoked sweet Spanish paprika (divided use)
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tbs EVOO
• 8 tbs finely minced garlic clove (divided use)
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 large pinch saffron threads
• 1 lb spicy sausage
• 1 ½ cups white onion, chopped
• 2 cups short grain rice (Arborio, Bomba, Carnaroli, Calasparra – all good choices)
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, cut in half and grated on a box grater (skin discarded)
• ¾ cup fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 ½ lengths
• 9 oz artichoke hearts (frozen are just fine)
• 1 pinch of cayenne (or more to taste)
• Sprig of fresh rosemary
• 1 roasted bell pepper, cut into strips
• 16 small clams or mussels
• 16 prawns, peeled and deveined

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425. Place chicken in a bowl and rub generously with 1 teaspoon paprika, 4 tbs minced garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Let rest 15 minutes.

Bring chicken stock to simmer in a medium-sized pan. Add saffron.

Heat paella pan and 2 tbs EVOO until smoking.  Add chicken and sauté until golden and juices are clear. Remove from pan and pour off excess fat.  Add sausage and cook through – remove and cut into bite-sized pieces. Add onion and remaining four tablespoons garlic, sautéing until translucent. Add rice and stir, coating grains with oils (about one minute).  Push mixture to sides of pan where temperatures are not as intense. Grate tomato over center of paella pan and add remaining paprika and pinch of cayenne. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring the tomatoes, several times, until they are thickened and reduced.  Add chicken, sausage back into pan and add artichokes, green beans and sprig of rosemary.  Slowly add simmering stock to ½” below rim of pan.

Set the paella pan over burner and cook over medium heat until the liquid is almost level with the rice, but the rice is still soupy (about 7 minutes). Periodically rotate the pan so that the liquid boils evenly.

“Bury” the prawns in the rice. Transfer the paella pan to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes. While the rice is cooking, put a pot of water with steamer basket on to boil. Steam clams for about five minutes or until shells open. Discard any unopened clams.

Check to make sure the rice is tender, but still a bit “al dente.” Remove the pan from the oven. Place the steamed clams and roasted red pepper strips decoratively on top of rice.  Cover with foil and let rest for five minutes. Uncover and let rest another five minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Wendy Carroll from Seasoned to Taste for TasteFresno