SEAFOOD PAELLA

Lauren loves paella, and I have always wanted to try and make it for her.  I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit and decided to give it a shot for her “Welcome back to Texas” dinner.   It does require some organization and slicing/dicing in advance, but once the paella gets going, the process is pretty seamless and the rewards are huge.

1 serrano chile, coarsely chopped

1/3 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley

10 TB olive oil, divided

Kosher salt

8 oz pancetta, cut into ½” pieces

1 lg. yellow onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, cut into ½” strips

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 t. paprika

½ t. hot smoked Spanish paprika

½ c. dry Sherry

3 c. short-grain rice*

6 c. chicken broth

3 wide strips orange zest

½ t. saffron threads

12-24 littleneck clams or mussels**

8 spring onions, trimmed (scallions work too)

8 oz. haricots verts, trimmed

12-20 large, shell-on prawns or shrimp**

Freshly ground black pepper

3 lemons, quartered

Puree chile, parsley, and 6 TB oil in a food processor until smooth; season chile-parsley oil with salt and set aside.  Prep all other ingredients and have them lined up ready to go.

Heat 1 TB oil in a 13” paella pan or a 12” cast-iron skillet over medium-high.  Cook pancetta, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes.  Add yellow onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 8-10 minutes.  Add garlic and both paprikas and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Carefully add Sherry; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until pan is almost dry, about 3 minutes.  Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is coated and starting to turn translucent, about 3 minutes.  Stir in broth, orange zest, and saffron and season with salt.  Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until rice is nearly tender, 12-15 minutes.

Pluck out zest and nestle clams/mussels into rice and cook until they begin to open, 12-15 minutes.  Cover pan with lid or foil and simmer until rice is al dente and clams/mussels or open, about 8-10 minutes.  Discard any that don’t open.  Remove from heat but keep covered and let rice steam 10 more minutes.

While paella cooks, heat a grill pan over medium-high, or fire up your gas grill to about 400-450 degrees.  Separately toss spring onions, haricots verts, and prawns with 1 TB oil each in bowls; season with salt and pepper.  Grill spring onions, turning occasionally, until greens are charred and bulbs are tender, about 5 minutes, less if using scallions.  Next, grill haricots verts, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and tender, about 2 minutes.  Grill shrimp until cooked through and shells are charred, about 2 minutes per side but watch carefully not to overcook them.  Finally grill lemons until charred, about 1 minute per side.

Arrange spring onions, haricots verts, and prawns over paella.  Drizzle dish with reserved chile-parsley oil and squeeze some juice from grilled lemons over it.  Place remaining wedges on top of dish and serve.

*Short-grain Paella rice is quite expensive, and I read on-line that Arborio rice could be substituted, so that is what I used. 

** This recipe makes 4-6 servings.  Judge the amount of seafood you use by how many you are serving, and how many pieces you think each will want.  I used mussels and put as many in my pan as I could without it getting too crowded and grilled about 5 large shrimp per person, but I have hearty eaters.  If you use prawns you would naturally serve fewer.