Juan's Paella + Carigane Rosé

Earlier this year I had a friend from Spain teach me how to make paella. Real paella. And, since then, I've made peace with my paella pan - it was previously collecting dust in the garage - and whipped up some really tasty dinners. Tonight, I had some friends over. I made paella, they took care of the salad, wine, kids' drinks, and dessert. Quite a deal for me! 

Ingredients serves 8

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 pound fresh shrimp, peeled (peels and heads reserved)
• 8 T olive oil (Juan told me 1 T per serving)
• 1 organic onion
• 3 to 4 whole cloves of garlic, peeled and pressed
• 1 bell pepper (I used a yellow bell pepper)
• 3 ripe, organic tomatoes, chopped
• 2 C Spanish paella rice
• 1 generous pinch saffon
• 1 Carmencita Paella Spice Mix sachet+ 
• 5 to 6 C fish stock, warmed

+Juan used this and they brought some back from Spain for me, so I use it. But, in a pinch, you can add a blend of paprika, pepper, and clove to the pot. These packets also include a food coloring that makes regular paella a rich golden color. 

Procedure

Peel and dice the onions. Deseed and dice the bell pepper. I love my son's solution for his eyes while chopping onions: his snorkeling mask. No tears!

Heat olive oil in the paella pan. Cook the chicken through. Stir in the garlic. Add onions and bell pepper. Sauté until the onion is softened and translucent. Add in the tomatoes and cook until they have lost their shape slightly, approximately 6 to 7 minutes.

Sprinkle the seasoning packet into the pot and add the saffron to the side so it's not where the heat is most concentrated.

Tip in the rice. Pour in the stock. At this point, do not stir. Gently shake the pan to distribute the rice and seafood evenly. But do not stir. Ever. As Juan instructed me: "This is not risotto."

Bring the pan to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Watch the pan and keep turning it so that the rice cooks evenly. As it cooks, the stock will be fully absorbed.

You will see fewer and fewer bubbles popping up through the top. When it is completely dry, it's done. The rice should also be crackling. It reminds me of rice krispies. Snap, crackle, and pop!

When you no longer see any bubbles, remove the pan from the heat. Tent it with foil and let it steam for 10 minutes.

To serve, use a flat spatula to scrape the soccarat from the bottom. Invert the scoop onto the individual plates to show off your soccarat, that delicious, crusty goodness on the bottom of the pan! 

 Denise brought over a bottle of 2013 Carignane Rosé from River Run Winery. Carignane (Cariñena in Spain) is a black-skinned wine grape variety, most likely native to northern Spain, specifically the town of Carinena. Great pick!

This was a new-to-me wine and I loved it! The Carignane grapevines for this wine are over 90 years old.  This is a crisp rosé with delightful heft.  A medium pink color, this rosé reveals aromas of citrus along with a hint of floral fragrance. On the tongue, I got flavors ripe strawberries, pink grapefruit, and watermelon. The sweetness is coupled with a dry composition and finishes with a bright acidity. It was a great wine for the paella.