I Love Paella

I love to eat paella! I remember the first time I made paella; my friends and I were waiting forever for it to finish.  I made a few rookie mistakes (added my stock all at once...and used a stock pot) and have learned that the pan you use can make all the difference! 

My recipe is adapted from one of Emeril's paella recipes.  I've pretty much cut the recipe in half because it would always make too much.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces

about 4 chicken wings

pinch of salt and pepper

3 tbsp of olive oil

1 c chopped onions

1/2 c chopped red bell pepper

1/2 c chopped celery

4 tbsp of minced garlic

1/2 lb of chorizo (vegetarian works just fine)

1 1/2 c of rice, uncooked (arborio is traditional...but I just use what I have: jasmine)

1 can of diced tomatoes, drained

4 bay leaves

1 tbsp of Emeril's Essence (I just make a batch of essence and keep it in my spice cabinet)

a pinch of saffron threads (very expensive spice...but makes a big difference)

2-3 cups of chicken stock
1/4 cup of peas (optional)

mussels and shrimp (if you want some seafood in it)

lemon wedges for garnish

Directions:

1) Add olive oil to a large saute pan or skillet on medium heat.

2) Salt and pepper the chicken.

3) Brown on all sides for about 4 minutes.

4) Remove the chicken pieces and put it to the side.

5) In the same pan with the remaining olive oil, add the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic; and saute for about 2 minutes.

6) Make a well in the middle of the veggies and saute the chorizo.

7) Mix well and add the uncooked rice and stir until rice is well coated.

8) Stir in the tomatoes, chicken, bay leaves, essence, and saffron and simmer for about a minute.

9) Add about 1 cup of the stock and bring to a boil.

10) Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes.

11) Add an additional cup of stock, cover, and simmer again for about 5-10 minutes. (You can add the peas here if you choose to go with the green peas)

12) If the rice still isn't cooked, slowly add more stock 1/4 cup at a time. And continue simmering. (It usually only takes 2 cups for me)

13) Add the shrimp and mussels and cook for 3-5 minutes.

14) Garnish with lemon wedges and enjoy!