Homemade Delicious Paella
Let me start by explaining that I don’t have a paella pan. I’m not Spanish. I don’t have access to Spanish chorizo or jamón serrano. The Assistant doesn’t eat seafood.
(Are you still with me? Good.)
I wanted to make something interesting for The Husband’s birthday. He’s long raved about the Super Awesome Paella that they make for the exhibitors at Maker Faire, and I figured I’d give it a shot.
The pan: I used my All-Clad stainless skillet with a domed lid.
The meat: For jamón serrano, I used a thick slice of prosciutto. Instead of Spanish chorizo, I used a nice Andouille sausage.
The rice: While I’m sure that Calasparra rice is great, I wasn’t going to pay $8/pound plus shipping. I did a lot of research and found that a lot of people use Calrose Hinode rice with good results. That’s $1/pound and readily available.
The paprika: I have smoked Spanish paprika from The Spice House.
The saffron: As long as you’re placing an order from The Spice House, get the saffron as well.
Birthday Paella
Serves | 4 |
Prep time | 15 minutes |
Cook time | 1 hour |
Total time | 1 hour, 15 minutes |
Meal type | Main Dish |
Misc | Child Friendly, Serve Cold |
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken stock
- pinch saffron threads
- 4 chicken thighs (with bone and skin)
- 3 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil (for frying)
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 can petite diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces)
- 8oz Andouille sausage (sliced)
- .25lb prosciutto (diced)
- .25 cup white wine
- 1 heaped tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika
- 1 cup calrose rice (or Calasparra)
- 1 bay leaf
- fresh parsley
- sherry vinegar
- green onions (sliced)
- lemon wedges
Directions
Results
This is a weekend project, without a doubt. It’s also the kind of cooking project that lends itself to leisurely eating on the back patio with a nice sangria.
The Assistant loved the ham and sausage, and was largely ambivalent about the chicken.
The Husband was caught licking the serving spoon because he didn’t want any of it to go to waste. “You like it?” I asked. “This is the kind of recipe that needs to be pinned to the front page of the blog, with flashing lights and arrows.” Well, then. I don’t think he’s ever given any meal a compliment like that.