Monday, February 25, 2013
Chicken, Pork, and Chorizo Paella
You. guys.
My cooking mojo is back with a vengeance! Hallelujah!
Hubs and I recently ate at a Spanish Tapas style Restaurant for an early Valentine’s dinner (Ceviche Tapas Bar & Restaurant). Tapas are MY kind of meal! I love being able to get small plates of all sorts of dishes to share. It’s the appetizer-lover in me. 😉 As if that isn’t enough – they also serve KILLER house-made sangria. It’s out of this world!
We started with sangria, shrimp ceviche, and these ridiculously amazing fried potato bites tossed in a garlic aioli (Ummm yah.). Then our main course arrived: Chicken & Pork Paella.
It was LOVE at first bite & I KNEW I’d be making some paella in the near future! Off to Sur la Table to purchase my paella pan & it was Paella-making time!
Look at this beauty…
For some reason, Paella always seemed intimidating to me, but with a little prep work it’s actually a cinch to throw together!
Seriously, the majority of the work is in the chopping and prep work.
Plan ahead and have everything ready to go, that way when your guests arrive, you can hand them a glass of sangria or wine and they can enjoy watching you put it together!
It’s also a great idea to have a couple of other tapas to enjoy while dinner is cooking (hummus, baba ganoush, olive tapenade, and/or bruschetta etc…)
You’ll be the host of the century! 😉
On a side note: this is another amazingly delicious gluten-free dish! HOORAY! I didn’t even miss it with this one!!!
SO. MUCH. FLAVOR.
Par-tay in my mouth, ya’ll!
Note to all my gluten free friends: just double check the ingredients to be sure there is no added wheat (especially the chicken broth & chorizo). Ingredient lists vary from brand to brand!
Gluten-Free or not, you’re sure to love this one, folks! ENJOY!
& Happy Monday!
Chicken, Pork, and Chorizo Paella
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45-60 minutes
Total Time: 65-80 minutes
The Ultimate land-lovers Paella with tender chicken, pork, and flavorful chorizo. This is a great family-style dinner to be served with a salad, some crusty bread, and a glass of your favorite wine. Add some additional Spanish tapas if ya want to get CRAZY!
Ingredients:
1/4-1/3 cup light olive oil, divided
7 ounces cured chorizo, sliced into 1/4" thick rounds
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed into bit sized pieces
3/4 lb pork tenderloin (or boneless pork chop, trimmed of fat), cubed into bite sized pieces
1 medium red onion, peeled & chopped
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (4-6 cloves)
1 thyme sprig (with 4-5 "twigs" on it)
1 teaspoon paprika
Dash of cayenne (optional)
2 bay leaves
2 cups short grained "Valencia" rice (Arborio Rice is a good Substitute)
8 ounces tomato sauce
3/4 cup dry white wine
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
.7 grams saffron threads (Trader Joe's sells a jar with this exact amount)
3/4 - 1 cup frozen peas
1-2 roasted red peppers, sliced (I used store-bought jared peppers, also Trader Joe's)
1 tablespoon chopped italian parsley, for garnish
2 lemons, cut into wedges for servingDirections:
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Add 3-4 tablespoons of the oil to the Paella pan* and heat over medium-high heat (*I actually prefer to use a 5 quart Enamel Coated Cast Iron Low Braising Pan since it gives a little extra space for stirring without spilling - just make sure your pan is large enough and oven safe... no non-stick pans for this).
2. Season the chicken and pork with salt and pepper, and toss. When pan is nice and hot, add sliced chorizo along with the seasoned chicken and pork. Begin to brown meat on all sides (you aren't looking to cook the meat completely... just get a good sear on it!).
3. Once meat is seared on all sides, add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to the pan (you don't want the pan to get too dry). Add the onions and sauté until beginning to soften (2-3 minutes). Season with a pinch of salt & pepper.
4. Next, add the garlic, thyme, paprika, cayenne and bay leaves. Sauté for an addition 30-45 seconds until fragrant (stirring constantly).
5. Add Rice, tomato sauce, white wine, chicken stock, and saffron. Stir well! Bring up to a simmer over Medium heat and allow liquid to reduce a bit, stirring often (10-12 minutes).
6. Pull thyme stems out of mixture at this time. Stir mixture well one last time, reduce heat to low and simmer until it's thickened up, but not all of the liquid has evaporated (another 10-12 minutes).
7. Sprinkle peas and lay roasted red pepper strips evenly over the top of the Paella (*there should still be a bit of moisture left in it, but it's thick enough for the peas and peppers to not sink). Place in oven and cook until remaining liquid is absorbed and you're ready to serve (15-20 minutes).
8. Sprinkle with fresh parsley if desired and garnish with a "crown" of lemon wedges.
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leslie — February 25, 2013 @ 8:42 am
I love whn there is a Par-tay in my mouth!!!! This looks scrumptious!
Ali | Gimme Some Oven — February 25, 2013 @ 8:47 am
Oh man – I have been wanting to try making paella lately! This sounds absolutely wonderful, and I love that pretty pan. 🙂
Cheers to your cooking mojo! Girl, you’re on a roll!!
Alaina @ Fabtastic Eats — February 25, 2013 @ 8:50 am
oh my! all of my favorite things! Ive never tried paella, but you’ve convinced me…do I reallly need a specific pan?
Kim @ Soliloquy Of Food & Such — February 25, 2013 @ 9:59 am
You had your mojo the whole time, just like Austin Powers…bet you never thought you’d be compared to AP ? 🙂
Meagan @ A Zesty Bite — February 25, 2013 @ 10:05 am
I’ve never made paella and this looks easy and so good!
Little Kitchie — February 25, 2013 @ 10:31 am
I LOVE paella! Yours looks fantastic! So many gorgeous colors!
Sues — February 25, 2013 @ 11:49 am
Um I love that we both had shrimp ceviche for Valentine’s dinner… and you went home and made paella from your dinner and I went home and made the shrimp ceviche! This is beautiful… And I’m a huge fan of your ingredient photo!
Katie — February 25, 2013 @ 12:20 pm
I love paella and have only made a vegetarian version at home… must give our meaty paella recipe a try! looks great!
Maggie @ A Bitchin' Kitchen — February 25, 2013 @ 12:47 pm
Oh my gosh, I LOVE paella. There is a tapas restaurant here in DC called La Tasca where I always, always order it! This looks fabulous!
Jessica — February 25, 2013 @ 1:12 pm
I’m so glad you got your mojo back because this Paella looks AHMAZING. For reals.
Lane @ Supper for a Steal — February 25, 2013 @ 2:51 pm
Looks delicious. I seriously need to pick up a paella pan asap, because a seafood paella is just screaming my name!
Nancy — February 25, 2013 @ 4:48 pm
So…When is ladies night??? My mouth is watering!!!! YUMMY, TINITA, LOOKS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!
Katie @ Blonde Ambition — February 25, 2013 @ 6:37 pm
I love tapas style meals! So fun to grab and share small bites 🙂 This looks like it has so much flavor- love the pan too 🙂
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. — February 26, 2013 @ 1:19 am
I always thought paella was intimidating too, but this doesn’t look so bad! So many great flavors going on!
Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking — February 26, 2013 @ 11:19 am
So gorgeous!!!! This sounds easy enough and your presentation is so pretty! Great pictures!
angela @ another bite please — February 26, 2013 @ 11:21 am
tapas are my kind of meal…any time during the day!
claire @ the realistic nutritionist — February 26, 2013 @ 3:23 pm
This is gorgeous!
Anna Fajkis — February 26, 2013 @ 9:36 pm
YOU MADE MY DAY! Let me preface this by saying that your paella looks delish and I will be adding it to my list of recipes to try, but my excitement is due to where you went to dinner.
When you mentioned going to Ceviche, my heart sank. I lived in Tampa for about 5 years and went to Ceviche on many special occasions. It is by far my favorite “true” tapas restaurant and when I moved back to south FL, I figured, hey there’s got to be great tapas places here because we’re surrounded by the Latin culture. Sadly, I have yet to find one that compares in type of tapas, portions, prices, and as you mentioned – the most amazing Sangrias.
So, when I read your comment, I reminisced on my beloved Ceviche and then thought .. hey, isn’t she from the WPB area? Did she go to Tampa or Orlando to go to Ceviche? … or is it by some miracle that there is one closer to me. I clicked on your link and saw the location listed in Delray!!! I almost peed myself and called my husband Right Away to tell him the most exciting news and that I didn’t care what his plans were because we were going on Saturday. I proceeded to check the menu and make sure it was all the same goodies that I remembered, and indeed, my heart has smiled today. So thank you for enlightening me to the fact that there is a Ceviche so close to me now! (let’s just hope the food is indeed as amazing as it is in my memories lol!) 🙂
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction — February 27, 2013 @ 10:25 am
What a gorgeous meal! I really need to try my hand at paellas!
Bree {Skinny Mommy} — February 27, 2013 @ 10:40 am
I love paella and this one looks completely perfect!
Donna @ The Slow Roasted Italian — February 27, 2013 @ 12:20 pm
Good grief. Chicken, pork and chorizo? This sounds fabulous. I have never had “Valencia” rice. I will have to check it out!
Stella — February 27, 2013 @ 5:31 pm
Hi Tina, I’ve been to the St. Pete Cervich quite a few times. Loved everything I got there. So, I’m definitely going to make this receipe Thank you sharing!!
Monica — February 28, 2013 @ 11:32 pm
I make risotto fairly often and feel totally comfortable with it but, somehow, paella seems a lot more complicated/difficult. I keep saying I’ll try (my husband loves it and I do too) but I still haven’t…one day! Yours looks delish! : )
Anisley — March 8, 2013 @ 12:34 pm
Hi Tina, did you have to season your paella pan before using it the first time. I want to make sure I don’t ruin the pan since this will be my first time making paella in this kind of pan.
Thanks