Skip to main content

Food Matters Project: Kicked-Up-a-Notch Paella


This week Meg of Fledgling Foodie picked our recipe for the week: Pared-Down Paella with Peas, Clams, and Chorizo.

While the simplicity of Mark Bittman's simplified version is appealing, I decided to kick it up a notch instead. I merged Bittman's recipe with Esperanza's Paella in José Pizarro's Seasonal Spanish Food  that my cousin Tiffany gave me for Christmas. I like José's inclusion of chicken and green beans, but skipped the rabbit and the fava beans. I'm allergic to fava, sadly.

Click to read what all of the creative cookers in The Food Matters Project made: here. Look in the comments section. Then, join us next week when Keely Marie hosts us making Bittman's Rolled Cabbage!

Here's my Kicked Up a Notch Paella...

olive oil
2 shallots, minced
6 oz chorizo (I used soy chorizo)
1 red bell pepper, sliced
2 C brown basmati rice
1/2 C fresh tomato sauce
1 C fresh peas
1 C cut green beans
1 C cubed chicken
2 lbs clams
pinch of saffron
2 C hot water
2 C chicken broth
1 T cilantro
lemon wedges for garnish
smoked paprika

Soak the saffron in the hot water. In a large, flat-bottom pan, heat a splash of olive oil and cook your shallots until they are softened and translucent. Add the chorizo and cook until nicely browned.


Add the cubes of chicken and cook until done. Stir in the peas, red bell peppers, green beans and rice. Saute for a minute or two - until the rice is glossy and coated with oil. Add in the tomato sauce, saffron water, chicken broth, and cilantro. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Check for doneness and add water if the rice is not quite tender.

Place the clams on top of the rice mixture. Cover and steam for 10 minutes - until the clams are open. Discard any clams that do not open. Garnish with a sprinkling of smoked paprika. Serve hot with lemon wedges.

Comments

  1. Camilla, this looks amazing! I agree that this recipe worked as a good base and I'll probably bump it up a notch next time. I've had Trader Joe's soy chorizo before; did you like it for this dish?

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Meg, I had never had the soy chorizo before. It worked well, I think. Though I will give the recipe another go with some smoked actual pork chorizo soon.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce