Spanish Paella

Ingredients: 

8 chicken legs

3 chorizo sausages-cut into 1 inch pieces

4 tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic-chopped

1 1/2 cups medium grain rice

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 tsp saffron threads

4 cups chicken stock (or 2 cups chicken stock and 2 cups clam juice)

1 pound shelled and cleaned shrimp marinated in:

1 clove garlic-chopped

1 onion-chopped

1 tbsp parsley-chopped

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 pound fresh mussels and/or clams

2 cans artichoke hearts-drained

1 jar whole pimentos-drained

1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas-cooked and drained

8 lobster claws or crab claws

2 lemons-quartered

Method:

In a large pan, brown the chicken legs and sausages in the olive oil.

Add chopped onions and garlic, brown.

Remove meat mixture from pan and reserve.

Add rice to pan and cook until slightly golden and transparent.

Add salt and pepper.

Bring stock to a boil.

Dissolve saffron in the boiling stock.

Cover rice with the stock and put the meat mixture back in the pan.

Cover and cook slowly until the liquid is absorbed (about 30 minutes).

Marinate shrimp for at least one hour.

Remove from marinade before adding to paella pan after the liquid has absorbed into the rice.

Garnish paella with mussels/clams, artichoke hearts, pimentos, peas, crab and lobster.

Cover and let the garnish ingredients steam for 20 minutes over a low fire

(so the rice on the bottom does not burn).

Serve with lemon sections

Courtesy: Chef Niru Gupta