Well, I've never been to Spain/But I kinda like the music...

Shrimp Paella

Tonight for dinner, we had paella. This was a distinctly non-vegetarian version to satisfy some very carnivorous visitors to my place. It's a classic Spanish dish (hence the 3 Dog Night lyrics...) and it's a great combination of crunchy and rich and spicy. This was my first time rolling out the recipe, and it was a runaway success.

The prep for cooking is a bit of work, but once everything is chopped and ready to go, then the cooking process is easy and super rewarding!

This batch served three hungry eaters with leftovers -- I would say probably 4-6 servings in total.

Recipe:

1 lb Shrimp (deveined and headless, but with the shells on)

1/2 lb chorizo, diced

1 chicken breast, cut into 1 inch dice

2 1/2 cups white short grain rice (like arborio)

1 white onion

1 tbsp. chopped garlic

3 tomatoes, peeled and seeded and roughly chopped

3 1/2 cups of vegetable or chicken broth

1/2 cup white wine

2-4 tbsp. Olive Oil

2 tsp. paprika

1 pinch turmeric

1 pinch saffron

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

4 tbsp. fresh parsley, for garnish

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1) Heat a bit of olive oil in a 10-12 inch non-stick skillet on the stove until it is very hot. Then add the chicken and cook until brown.

2) Warm the stock with the turmeric and the saffron. Stir occasionally to make sure the spices are dissolving and incorporated.

3) Add onions, garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning and cook until they are soft and most of the water has evaporated from the pan

4) Add chorizo and paprika and cook until fragrant. Then add tomatoes. Again, cook until most of the liquid is gone from the pan.

5) Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Cook for approximately 5 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half.

6) Add the rice and cook until it is translucent around the edges, approximately 1-2 minutes.

7) Slowly pour the spiced stock into the pan and stir until everything is just incorporated.

8) Arrange the shrimp around the top of the pan and cover the pan. Turn down the heat to medium low. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed.

9) Take off the lid and turn the heat back up for 3-5 minutes to get a crispy layer on the bottom and sides of the pan.

10) Sprinkle parsley across the top and voila!

I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I did.

Until our next dinner,

ceh.