Simple Paella

Contributed by Robin Garr, wineloverspage.com.

If there is a more famous Spanish recipe than paella, I don’t know what it is. Spain’s answer to the risotto of Italy and the pilaf of the Eastern Mediterranean, paella may be the most complicated of these memorable comfort foods built on rice. Some authentic recipes call for hours of preparation and, not least, cooking it in a special pan over a crackling wood fire.

We are not going to ask you to do that. This easy version still offers you a genuine taste of Spain; it will take less than an hour to prepare, and you’ll have a couple of breaks waiting for the dish to finish in the oven. Oh, and you needn’t invest in a special paella pan to make this paella: Your good, old-fashioned black-iron skillet or any oven-proof skillet or wok will work just fine.

Serve it with either of your Vinedos & Bodegas Vegalfaro Spanish wines and it will be fine, working in deliciously different ways with either the red or the white.

While you’re waiting, mouth watering, practice the Spanish pronunciation of this tasty word: “Pah-EH-ya.”

We’re grateful to the excellent PanningTheGlobe.com website for the idea for this dish, which we’ve modified a bit and simplified a little more

Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Serves: Serves 2 - 3. Ingredients • 2-3 Tbsp olive oil, divided • 2 oz smoked Spanish chorizo sausage, if available; NOT Mexican chorizo, which is too spicy. Substitute Polish sausage if you wish. Slice into ½-inch rounds. • 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast or two boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch strips • salt and black pepper • 1 small yellow onion, chopped (about ¼ cup) • 1-2 garlic cloves, minced • 1/4 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped • 2/3 cup Arborio or other short-grain rice • a few threads of saffron • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika • 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes or, the equivalent in fresh tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and diced • 1 cup chicken broth • 6 medium peeled raw shrimp • 1 roasted sweet red pepper from a jar, sliced, or 1 Tbsp sliced pimientos

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large black-iron or other oven-proof skillet over high heat, and cook the sliced sausage until browned. Transfer it to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.

3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Put another tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet, add the boneless chicken, and sear it briefly on all sides. Remove it to the plate with the sausages.

4. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook the onions, stirring often until they soften and turn translucent. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook briefly until they are combined.

5. Put the rice and saffron in the pan with the paprika, tomatoes, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Pour in the chicken broth and stir to combine the ingredients. Add the reserved chicken strips and sausages on top, pushing them gently into the rice so just their tops are show.

6. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Put the skillet in the oven and cook for 10 minutes, uncovered. Take out the pan and arrange the red pepper strips or pimentos and raw shrimp on top, sprinkling them lightly with salt and smoked paprika. Put the skillet back in the oven and cook for another 10 minutes, until the shrimp and chicken are cooked.

7. Top with minced parsley and serve hot.