But first and more importantly, is wine. Once the tasty and delicious paella is a reality, what to drink with it? To answer this question, I strolled into my favorite wine shop, the Vienna Vintner, plugged so many times in this blog you'd think I had stock in the store. As usual, Victor, one of the owners, produced two perfect options to pair with the shellfish delight. Traditionally, the Spanish like to drink Albariño, a crisp, fresh white often reminiscent of Viognier. But a little more interesting is a Verdejo. Also, Spanish in origin and with some of the same notes you find in a traditional Viognier, this more aromatic wine frequently boasts honey and peach notes that create a nice balance to the spicy kick of the chorizo while still pairing well with the shellfish. And that's what I chose - an Austum 2009 Verdejo, a great addition to our meal.
And now, on to the Paella...
Ingredients
4 bone-in chicken thighs with their skin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lb Spanish chorizo,
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Spanish onion, diced
1 green onion, diced
1 leek, cleaned and cut into strips
1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
1 cup Spanish rice, short to medium grain
1 teaspoon saffron threads
3 cups chicken stock, warm
4 jumbo shrimp, peeled with heads and tails on or 8 extra large shrimp without heads and tails, peeled and deveined
8 littleneck clams, scrubbed
12 mussels, debearded and scrubbed
1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed
Fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, for garnish
Lemon wedges, for serving
Directions
Rinse the chicken pieces and pat them dry. Mix the oregano, paprika and cayenne with some salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the pieces of chicken; marinate for 30 minutes so the flavor can sink in.
Heat the olive oil in a paella pan or wide shallow skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the pan, skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add the chorizo and continue to cook until the oil is a vibrant red color.
NOTE: It can be really hard to find good chorizo without going to a Latin Market. Whole Foods sometimes carries a dried chorizo that is the best choice I've found locally, but they also make a fresh chorizo that is a possible second option if you can't find the more authentic version.
Remove the chicken and sausage to a platter lined with paper towels. After most of the fat has been absorbed by the paper towel, cut the chorizo into bite sized pieces and set aside.
Return the pan to the stove and lower the heat to medium. Make a sofrito by sauteing the garlic, green pepper, leeks, onion, and tomatoes.
Cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld; season with salt and pepper.
Fold in the rice, stirring to coat the grains. If you can't find Spanish rice, arborio will work just fine. Stir the saffron into the rice.
Pour in the chicken broth and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Do not cover or constantly stir like risotto.
Add the clams, the reserved chicken, and the chorizo. Give the paella a couple of good stirs to tuck in all the pieces and just let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, about 15 minutes.
Add the mussels, shrimp and scatter the peas on top and continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through, the mussels are open and paella looks fluffy and moist.
Discard any clams or mussels that did not open (this is important, bad shellfish can really make you sick!). The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat. Allow to rest, off the heat for 5 minutes, and garnish with parsley. Serve with lemon wedges.
Rinse the chicken pieces and pat them dry. Mix the oregano, paprika and cayenne with some salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the pieces of chicken; marinate for 30 minutes so the flavor can sink in.
Heat the olive oil in a paella pan or wide shallow skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the pan, skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add the chorizo and continue to cook until the oil is a vibrant red color.
NOTE: It can be really hard to find good chorizo without going to a Latin Market. Whole Foods sometimes carries a dried chorizo that is the best choice I've found locally, but they also make a fresh chorizo that is a possible second option if you can't find the more authentic version.
Remove the chicken and sausage to a platter lined with paper towels. After most of the fat has been absorbed by the paper towel, cut the chorizo into bite sized pieces and set aside.
Return the pan to the stove and lower the heat to medium. Make a sofrito by sauteing the garlic, green pepper, leeks, onion, and tomatoes.
Cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld; season with salt and pepper.
Fold in the rice, stirring to coat the grains. If you can't find Spanish rice, arborio will work just fine. Stir the saffron into the rice.
Pour in the chicken broth and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Do not cover or constantly stir like risotto.
Add the clams, the reserved chicken, and the chorizo. Give the paella a couple of good stirs to tuck in all the pieces and just let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, about 15 minutes.
Add the mussels, shrimp and scatter the peas on top and continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through, the mussels are open and paella looks fluffy and moist.
Discard any clams or mussels that did not open (this is important, bad shellfish can really make you sick!). The ideal paella has a toasted rice bottom called socarrat. Allow to rest, off the heat for 5 minutes, and garnish with parsley. Serve with lemon wedges.
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